Health Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 30;6(11):e1651. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1651. eCollection 2023 Nov.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common cause for seeking care. Previous studies have shown considerable variations in TBI management. New guidelines may have influenced management routines.
METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, collecting data through structured questionnaires. All Swedish emergency hospitals that manage and treat adult patients with mTBI (Reaction Level Scale [RLS] 1-3, Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] 13-15, age > 18 years) for the initial 24 h after injury were included in this study.
RESULTS: The response rate among hospitals fulfilling the study criteria’s was 61/67 (91%). We observed a distinct predominance of nonspecialists being responsible for the initial management of these patients, with general surgeons and ED-physicians being the dominating specialties. A total of 45/61 (74%) of the hospitals use a guideline when managing TBI, with 12 hospitals (20%) stating that no guideline was used.
CONCLUSION: In general, established guidelines are used for the management of TBI in Sweden. However, some of these are outdated and several hospitals used local guidelines not based upon reliable evidence-based methodology. Most patients with TBI are managed by nonspecialist doctors, stressing the need of a reliable guideline.
PMID:37915367 | PMC:PMC10616643 | DOI:10.1002/hsr2.1651
