Heads Up! Tool for Diagnosing and Managing Brain Injuries

In the June 7, 2007 edition of the MMWR, there is a notice to readers informing them about the prevelance of mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) and how clinicians can help prevent MTBI or concussion and improve patient health outcomes with early diagnosis, management, and appropriate referral. Diagnosing MTBIs can be difficult due to certain symptoms that appear to be similar to those of other medical conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and headache syndromes.

To aid clinicians in the diagnosis and management of MTBIs, CDC recently updated and revised the Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your Practice tool kit. The free tool kit can be ordered or downloaded at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/physicians_tool_kit.htm. Additional information regarding MTBI is available at http://www.cdc.gov/injury, or by e-mail, cdcinfo@cdc.gov, or telephone, 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).