o1.5-2 Million People A Year Sustain Brain Injury From Motor Vehicle And Motorcycle Accidents, ,Falls, Sport Injuries, And Acts Of Violence
o500,000 Severe Enough To Require Hospitalization.
o50,000 Die From Complications Of Head Injury
o5.3 Million Are Living With Head Injury Related Disability
omost Common Among Males 15-24 And People Older Than 75.
These alarming statistics affects all communities. Since the advances of medical technology, health care has become more specialized and sub specialized. However, who does one see to help diagnose and treat a suspected head injury? A Family Doctor?…..A Neurologist?……A Psychologist?….A Radiologist?….What about a Neuropsychologist?…..So many to choose from, but which one would be most helpful?…..The answer is, they all offer an important piece to the puzzle. For example, Steven (a fictitious name of a patient) was 21-years-old, when he became involved in a motorcycle accident on Christmas day. An intoxicated truck driver collided with his motorcycle while making a left turn on a green light. Steven was ejected from the seat of his motorcycle and subsequently landed in the middle of the street. While he had no memory of the accident, eyewitness notified paramedics who took him to a nearby hospital. After 5 hours of being in a coma, he regained consciousness. While he did not sustain any major physical injuries, his family noticed a drastic change in his behavior and thinking. He lost his ability to read words, experienced difficulty with attention, concentration, memory, and behavior (i.e., short-temper, aggression, irritable, impulsive). According to his mother, his son had changed since the accident. She was desperate to find someone who could help him. Therefore, his mother took Steven to his family doctor who ordered some brain imaging diagnostic tests (CT and MRI scans) and referred him to a long list of specialists (e.g., neurologist, psychiatrist, and neuropsychologist) to clarify his condition. His mother wondered, about all these doctors….What did they do? How would they be able to help Steven? Read the rest of this entry »