Care Coordination in Military Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)—an injury to the brain that may or may not create lasting impairment for the survivor—has been recognized as a major public health problem by the Centers for Disease Control (Langlois, Rutland-Brown, & Thomas, 2006 Langlois, J.A., Rutland-Brown, W., and Thomas, K.E., "Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits". In: Hospitalizations, and Deaths, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.. [Google Scholar]). Ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have highlighted the problem for the military (Warden, 2006 Warden, D., 2006. Military TBI during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation 21 (5) (2006), pp. 398–402.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Many soldiers are exposed to severe impact to the head resulting in TBI. As those with TBI transition to their home locality, civilian social workers and other providers will be involved in their care. This article examines the medical and emotional implications of mild TBI and offers suggestions for care of those affected, both the service member and his/her family.