A Comprehensive Review of Symptoms and Scales Related to Traumatic Brain Injury and the Need for a New TBI Symptom Scale
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Authors
Lasser, Juliana
Issue Date
2019-08-16
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Caregivers , Scales , Symptoms , Traumatic brain injury
Alternative Title
Abstract
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a complex diagnosis with a vast variety of symptoms that can occur. The unique presentations that TBI can have make it particularly difficult to categorize. Currently the most commonly used categorization system for TBI is division between mild, moderate, and severe. The individual experience of TBI can be significantly different based on the symptomatic experience, which can skew the designation of mild, moderate, and/or severe. In evaluation of TBI there are many scales that can be used to evaluate many different aspects of how TBI impacts the individual. These scales include the Glasgow Coma Scale, Rancho Los Amigos scale, Modified Rankin, and Quality of Life After Brain Injury scale. The Glasgow Coma Scale is currently the primary scale being utilized in TBI evaluation. This scale evaluates the distinction between mild, moderate, and severe TBI but does not evaluate the full array of symptoms or how they change over time. Currently the Glasgow Coma Scale only looks at three symptom categories. There is a need for an increased understanding of what symptoms are occurring and how the symptoms change over time for the individual, which is critical for keeping track of progressions and regressions post-injury. Considering the way symptoms are often experienced in TBI and the variance that can be found based on time of day, stress, hormonal fluctuations, etc., a comprehensive evaluation of symptoms would require the input of caregivers. This would require a new evaluation scale to be developed that allows for a thorough review of potential symptoms. Herein there will be a review of the symptoms and current scales in use as well as a proposal of a new scale to fill in the gap of the current scales. This scale will allow for caregivers to provide valuable input in conjunction with health professionals to create a full picture of the presentation of the individuals specific TBI experience.
Description
Citation
J. Lasser, "A Comprehensive Review of Symptoms and Scales Related to Traumatic Brain Injury and the Need for a New TBI Symptom Scale", Ph.D. dissertation, School of Health Science, Univ. of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 2019.
Publisher
University of Bridgeport