Every year an estimated 2.9 million people in the United States visit an emergency department, are hospitalized or die as a result of a traumatic brain injury. A TBI is defined as damage to the brain caused by an external force as evidenced by altered consciousness and impairment of brain functioning. After the initial medical event, TBI can present significant challenges to the individual, family, and society. An injured person may experience a wide range of physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes that affect everyday function. Financial hardship, reduced physical activity, limited participation in the community, isolation, anxiety and depression are some common problems experienced by individuals following a TBI.
The Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) Program is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The TBIMS began in 1987 and continues its mission to improve care and outcomes for individuals with TBI. Currently there are 16 TBIMS centers, each providing a multidisciplinary system of rehabilitation care, including emergency medical, acute medical, and post-acute services. In addition to providing direct services, these centers play a pivotal role in building the national capacity for high-quality treatment and research serving persons with TBI, their families, and the communities in which they reside.
Accomplishments
The TBIMS program has made significant advancements in TBI care and research. Example accomplishments include:
- Developing new practice guidelines in important areas of medical care for people with TBI (e.g., management of post-traumatic seizures, spasticity, post-traumatic agitation, post traumatic headache, disorders of consciousness)
- Developing new innovative approaches and procedures for TBI rehabilitation throughout recovery
- Creating new TBI diagnostic procedures and assessment tools that measure recovery and outcomes
- Characterizing and improving understanding of the long-term health and societal impacts of TBI across the lifespan
- Developing and disseminating information for people living with TBI and their families, professionals, and policy makers on TBI and its consequences
- Advancing collaborative efforts with governmental, professional, and advocacy organizations at both state and national levels
- Leveraging TBIMS infrastructure and longitudinal database to obtain other federal, state, and local funding for research
Research
Over 1,000 peer-reviewed publications have resulted from TBIMS-funded research, including 10 special issues of leading journals in the field of rehabilitation. Currently there are 24 active center-specific research projects and 11 multicenter research projects in the TBIMS. Collaboration within the TBIMS and with other research groups has demonstrated the utility of leveraging the infrastructure of the TBIMS.
Each of the 16 centers, as well as previously funded centers, contribute data to the TBIMS National Database, a longitudinal database started in 1988 that currently includes information on 19,000 individuals who were admitted for inpatient TBI rehabilitation. This database is the largest longitudinal study of TBI in the world and includes data on pre-injury, acute care, rehabilitation, and outcomes at 1, 2, and 5 years post injury and at every 5 years thereafter. Some participants have been followed for 35 years.
To ensure high data quality in TBIMS research, NIDILRR separately funds the TBIMS National Data and Statistical Center, which manages the TBIMS National Database and other collaborative TBIMS research.
To ensure that research is translated into practice, NIDILRR separately funds a Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center, which promotes the adoption of research findings by stakeholders, including rehabilitation professionals, policy-makers, TBI survivors, and family members of persons with TBI.
Once each 5-year funding cycle, TBIMS Centers may also compete for an additional collaborative grant that supports studies of outcomes, rehabilitation interventions, and service delivery.
For More Information
Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Centers: https://msktc.org/tbi/model-system-centers; Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC): https://msktc.org; Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center: https://www.tbindsc.org.
Source
This is a publication of the TBIMS Centers and the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center at American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC (Grant Number 90DPKT0009). These centers are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, an agency within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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