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Cook NE, Kissinger-Knox A, Iverson IA, Liu BC, Gaudet CE, Norman MA, Iverson GL. Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity in the Diagnosis and Management of Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Content Analysis of Research Underlying Clinical Guidelines. J Neurotrauma 2023; 40:1977-1989. [PMID: 37071186 PMCID: PMC10541940 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2023.0021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We conducted a content analysis of the literature underlying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children (i.e., the "Guideline") to determine the extent to which social determinants of health (SDoH) were examined or addressed. The systematic review forming the basis for the Guideline included 37 studies addressing diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment/rehabilitation. We examined those studies to identify SDoH domains derived from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2020 and 2030 websites. No study explicitly mentioned "social determinants of health," by name, and few studies addressed SDoH domains as a primary focus (ranging from 0% to 27% of studies across SDoH domains). The most frequently represented SDoH domains, described in an inferential or a descriptive manner, were Education Access and Quality (29.7% of studies), Social and Community Context (27.0% of studies), and Economic Stability (21.6% of studies). Health Care Access (13.5% of studies) was less well represented and no studies (0%) examined Neighborhood and Built Environment. In terms of the CDC clinical questions, SDoH were only examined as predictors of outcome (prognosis) and no studies examined SDoH in relation to diagnosis or treatment/rehabilitation. The Guideline includes some commentary on health literacy and socioeconomic status. Overall, social determinants of health are largely unrepresented as important or meaningful variables influencing the Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children, or in the studies that informed the Guideline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan E. Cook
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- MassGeneral Hospital for Children Sports Concussion Program, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alicia Kissinger-Knox
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ila A. Iverson
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Brian C. Liu
- MassGeneral Hospital for Children Sports Concussion Program, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Charles E. Gaudet
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- MassGeneral Hospital for Children Sports Concussion Program, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marc A. Norman
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Grant L. Iverson
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- MassGeneral Hospital for Children Sports Concussion Program, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shoen Adams Research Institute at Spaulding Rehabilitation, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
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Characteristics of Concussion in Elementary School-Aged Children: Implications for Clinical Management. J Pediatr 2020; 223:128-135. [PMID: 32507622 PMCID: PMC7419017 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To comprehensively characterize the clinical presentation and course of care for concussion among 5- to 11-year-old children, identifying preinjury and injury factors potentially influencing clinical outcomes. STUDY DESIGN A single-institution retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data from children ages 5- to 11 years with a concussion from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015. Electronic health record data were abstracted for a 20% random sample of 292 patients. RESULTS Three-fourths of patients (74.3%) presenting for concussion care had a standardized visiovestibular assessment performed. Almost all of those who eventually sought specialty care (92.9%) also had such an assessment, and only 42.9% patients initially seen in the emergency department or urgent care were examined in this manner. Of those assessed, 62.7% (n = 136) demonstrated deficits, with children ages 9-11 years more frequently exhibiting deficits than their younger counterparts (67.9% vs 53.2%; P = .03). Almost all patients (95.9%) reported at least 1 somatic symptom (eg, headache, dizziness), and one-half to two-thirds reported problems with sleep (54.1%) and visiovestibular symptoms (66.1%). Only 11.6% of children were referred for rehabilitation therapies and less than one-half of concussed patients (43.8%) were provided with a letter recommending school accommodations. CONCLUSIONS Somatic symptoms, sleep problems, and visiovestibular deficits are common in elementary school-aged children with concussion, but specific visiovestibular clinical assessments are often not performed, particularly in the emergency department setting. Recommendations for school accommodations are often not provided at the time of concussion diagnosis. Incorporating a standardized visiovestibular assessment into practice could facilitate early targeted school accommodations and thereby improve return to learning for elementary school-aged children with concussion.
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