Routine follow up after head injury: a second randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Public Health
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Head injuries are a common cause of disability.
• Existing routine services for head injury patients are often minimal.
• Early intervention may improve patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if an early intervention service benefits patients admitted to hospital with head injuries.
• To assess the impact of specialist team support on social disability and post-concussion symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a health district with 560,000 people.
• Patients aged 16-65 admitted with head injury were randomized to either a specialist intervention group or standard care.
• Outcomes, including social disability and post-concussion symptoms, were assessed at six months using validated questionnaires.

Main Results:

• The trial group (184 patients) received early intervention, while the control group (130 patients) received standard care.
• At six months, patients receiving early intervention showed significantly less social disability (p=0.01) and fewer severe post-concussion symptoms (p=0.02).
• Forty-six percent of the intervention group received further outpatient or telephone support.

Conclusions:

• Early intervention by a specialist service significantly reduces social morbidity and post-concussion symptoms in head injury patients.
• These findings support the targeted delivery of specialist services for head injury survivors.
• Recommendations are made for optimizing the targeting of such services based on trial results.