Traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly mild TBI, often leads to under-recognized cognitive impairments that can significantly impact functional recovery, social integration, and quality of life. There is limited evidence on effective assessment timing and long-term management, highlighting the need for a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to improve diagnosis, treatment, and longitudinal care pathways.
Specific Aims:
- To develop a multidisciplinary team integrating expertise across clinical and research domains to address cognitive impairment following mild TBI.
- To identify key gaps in expertise and engage stakeholders, including patients and community partners, to strengthen team composition.
- To establish a longitudinal clinical care pathway that supports assessment, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up for patients with mild TBI.
The team includes multidisciplinary experts in trauma and acute care surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, radiology, neuropsychology, cognitive science, neurorehabilitation, and social work, working collaboratively to improve patient-centered outcomes.
Team Building Activities include:
- Monthly Collaborator Meetings: The team meets regularly to promote communication, identify gaps, and develop collaborative strategies for managing cognitive impairment following mild TBI.
- Consultation with SC Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI): The team engages CTSI team science experts to strengthen collaboration, communication, and research coordination strategies.
- Invited Speaker Lecture Series: The team hosts expert-led sessions on multidisciplinary teamwork, cognitive impairment in TBI, and community-engaged research to enhance knowledge and collaboration.
- Patient Focus Group Activity: The team conducts focus groups with TBI patients to understand lived experiences, identify care gaps, and inform team composition and research priorities.
- Development of Longitudinal Clinical Pathway for mild TBI Patients: The team collaborates through workshops and discussions to design a comprehensive, multidisciplinary care pathway spanning diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up.