Model System:

TBI

Reference Type:

Journal

Accession No.:

J76520

Journal:


Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

, 32, 4, 221-233

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Study compared participants in the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) TBIMS. The level of comparability between these 2 databases will help inform generalizability of findings across cohorts. Setting: Inpatient comprehensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation facilities. The analytic sample included 550 VA and 5270 NIDILRR participants who were enrolled in TBIMS between August 2009 and July 2015. The VA and NIDILRR cohorts were compared across demographic, premorbid status, injury characteristics, and rehabilitation outcome variables for the full sample and across motor vehicle-related, fall-related, and violent-related TBI etiologies. Overall, violent injury mechanisms were more common in the VA cohort, many of which were deployment related, while falls were more common in the NIDILRR cohort. The VA and NIDILRR TBIMS participants differed on 76 percent of comparisons, with unique differences shown across TBI etiology subgroups. The VA cohort was more educated, more likely to be employed at the time of injury, utilized mental health services premorbidly, and experienced greater traumatic brain injury severity. As expected, acute and rehabilitation lengths of stay were longer in the VA with no differences in death rate found between cohorts. A substantial number of NIDILRR enrollees had a history of military service (13 percent) warranting further focused study. The TBIMS participant data collected across cohorts can be used to help evidence-informed policy for the civilian and military-related healthcare systems. The significant baseline differences between the NIDILRR and VA TBIMS participants warrant caution when comparing rehabilitation outcomes.

Author(s):


Nakase-Richardson, Risa, Stevens, Lillian F., Tang, Xinhy, Lamberty, Greg J., Sherer, Mark, Walker, William C., Pugh, Mary J., Eapen, Blessen C., Finn, Jacob A., Saylors, Mimi, Dillahunt-Aspillaga, Christina, Adams, Rachel S., Garofano, Jeffrey S.

Participating Centers: