Evaluating Point-of-Care Electroencephalogram for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Triage and Referral Pathways Within the Emergency Department: A Mixed-Design Cohort Quality Improvement Study.
Patients referred to TBI clinics received faster follow-up than those sent to primary care
Evaluating Point-of-Care Electroencephalogram for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Triage and Referral Pathways Within the Emergency Department: A Mixed-Design Cohort Quality Improvement Study.
Traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, represent a common military health care system challenge due to the high frequency seen throughout the 21st century battlefield, workplace injuries, and other traumatic accidents.
This quality improvement study evaluated whether incorporating a quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) device could improve triage accuracy, refine the referral pathway, and align mild TBI care with Defense Health Agency (Defense Health Agency) recommendations within a military emergency department.
Whose score correlated with a clinically significant brain injury (≤50) were referred to a TBI clinic.
TBI clinic referrals meant faster follow-up than primary care
The primary care provider group (n = 38) had a follow-up averaging 8 days and a return-to-duty of 9 days.
In the primary care provider group, 10% were subsequently referred to a TBI specialist.
Collectively, a total of 43 non-contrast head computed tomography scans were ordered: 48% in the TBI clinic group and 46% in the primary care provider group, all without significant abnormal findings.
Patients referred to TBI clinics had faster follow-up and less variability than the primary care group, suggesting a more efficient process for TBI-specific referrals that closely aligns with Defense Health Agency recommendations.
Ten percent of patients referred to primary care required referrals to TBI clinics, indicating appropriate identification and a low rate of missed referrals from the emergency department.
Patients referred to TBI clinics had longer recovery times, reflecting that these clinics identify and address more complex cases and provide essential care.