Objective: To improve identification of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in survivors of nonmilitary bomb blasts during the acute care phase.
Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention convened a meeting of experts in TBI, emergency medicine, and disaster response to review the recent literature and make recommendations.
Results: Seven key recommendations were proposed: (1) increase TBI awareness among medical professionals; (2) encourage use of standard definitions and consistent terminology; (3) improve screening methods for TBI in the acute care setting; (4) clarify the distinction between TBI and acute stress disorder; (5) encourage routine screening of hospitalized trauma patients for TBI; (6) improve identification of nonhospitalized TBI patients; and (7) integrate the appropriate level of TBI identification into all-hazards mass casualty preparedness.
Conclusions: By adopting these recommendations, the United States could be better prepared to identify and respond to TBI following future bombing events.