Exploring Integration of Support for Co-Occurring Substance Use-Related Needs in Interdisciplinary Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment for Military Service Members and Veterans.

This was a pilot quality improvement effort with no control or comparison group, so it is impossible to know if the new model caused the improvements in completion rates. The program tailored interventions to individual needs, meaning the amount and type of substance use support varied widely between participants. The analysis of predictors did not distinguish between people who were denied entry by the program and those who chose not to attend evaluation, limiting conclusions about barriers. Results may not generalize to other rehabilitation programs with different admission processes or patient populations.

One author is a paid consultant for a pharmaceutical company assessing a concussion drug and holds a patent for concussion diagnostic technology, though the authors state these relationships are not related to this work. The other authors have nothing to disclose.

Do not interpret the high completion rate as proof that this specific integrated model is more effective than standard care, because the study had no control group and was a small pilot.