Stakeholder-informed priorities for process improvement in Warfighter Brain Health efforts

Blast overpressure exposure and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) remain important concerns within Warfighter Brain Health efforts, yet practical gaps persist in symptom recognition, education, and care navigation.

An anonymous web-based survey of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF)-affiliated stakeholders was conducted from approximately 15 April to 15 June 2025 (N = 64). Items addressed community issues, symptom priorities, publication audiences, tool priorities, and preferred online formats. Analyses were descriptive; ranking items were additionally summarized using a secondary weighted priority score.

Respondents most often endorsed medical knowledge deficits, limited access to specialized care, and difficulty obtaining timely blast- or mild-TBI-related information. Weighted descriptive rank aggregation supported high priority for attention/concentration and decision-making changes, depressed mood and isolation, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Clinicians and medics were the leading dissemination audiences, and self-administered neurocognitive baseline, symptom monitoring, and event/exposure tracking tools were the leading tool priorities. Brief videos and personal testimonials were the most preferred online formats.

In this convenience sample, findings support actionable priorities focused on strengthening clinical competency, improving information accessibility, and developing tools for assessment, tracking, and symptom management, supporting Department of Defense brain health objectives.