Concussion Evaluation Patterns Among US Adults.
Lindsay S Womack, Matthew J Breiding, Jill Daugherty
PMID 35125431WHAT IT FOUND
Half of adults with a self-reported concussion never saw a doctor or nurse.
The main reason was not cost or access, but believing the injury was not serious. Men and those with falls or sports injuries were least likely to seek care.
Key findings
01Among adults who reported a concussion, 50.4% did not receive an evaluation by a doctor or nurse for their most recent injury.
02The most common reason for not seeking care was the belief that the injury was not serious (59.1%), whereas difficulty paying was reported by only 6.1%.
03Adjusted analysis showed men were significantly more likely than women to go unevaluated, as were individuals whose concussions resulted from slips, trips, falls, bicycle accidents, or being struck.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Concussions were self-reported and not validated by medical records, so some respondents may have misidentified other head injuries as concussions. The survey relied on recall, which is prone to error for injuries sustained many years ago. A large proportion of respondents selected 'other' for the mechanism of injury and activity, limiting the specificity of those findings.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that cost or lack of transportation is the primary barrier to concussion care for your patients. The data show that the majority of people who did not seek evaluation believed their injury was not serious, suggesting that patient education on symptom recognition is more critical than addressing logistical access.