Traumatic Brain Injury Intensive Evaluation and Treatment Program: Protocol for a Partnered Evaluation Initiative...

Area of Science:

• Military Health
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Intensive Evaluation and Treatment Program (IETP) offers evidence-based inpatient treatment for mild TBI in special operational forces. It provides comprehensive assessment, treatment, referral, and case management aligned with current guidelines.
• Despite its innovative approach, there's a lack of formal evaluation to understand the implementation factors of IETPs within the healthcare system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe IETP services across 5 Veterans Health Administration TBI-Centers of Excellence (TBI-COE) and assess implementation status.
• To identify opportunities for adapting and scaling the IETP, and to characterize patient factors influencing service utilization.
• To evaluate participant outcomes, inform implementation strategies, and target ineffective components for deimplementation.

Main Methods:

• A 3-year concurrent mixed-methods evaluation employing a participatory approach with operational partners and TBI-COE leadership.
• Qualitative methods include observations, focus groups, and interviews to explore stakeholder experiences and needs.
• Quantitative methods involve primary patient data collection for outcomes and satisfaction, and secondary data for patient- and system-level characterization.

Main Results:

• Data collection commenced in December 2021 and is ongoing.
• Results and deliverables are anticipated to enhance the characterization, evaluation, implementation, and knowledge translation of IETPs.

Conclusions:

• The evaluation aims to elucidate factors influencing IETP implementation.
• Insights from service members, staff, and stakeholders will detail site-specific implementation status, while quantitative measures will suggest standardized outcomes.
• Findings are expected to inform national policies and knowledge translation efforts for IETP improvement and expansion.