Army Task Force Finds Major Gaps in Care of TBI

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

Coverage & Access Army Task Force Finds Major Gaps in Care of Traumatic Brain Injuries
[Jan 18, 2008]
There are "major gaps" in identifying and treating traumatic brain injuries in servicemembers, according to an Army task force report released on Thursday, USA Today reports. According to the report, which was completed in May 2007, the gaps "were created by a lack of coordination and policy-driven approaches." The task force found gaps in the identification and treatment of soldiers who have mild traumatic brain injuries often resulting from exposure to roadside bomb blasts, despite the fact that researchers at the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center in 2004 developed ways of identifying the injuries.

According to the Army, 10% to 20% of Marines and soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq might have experienced brain injuries, which often have no outward signs of injury. According to USA Today, at least 20,000 servicemembers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with or have shown signs of brain injury (Zoroya, USA Today, 1/18). More than 80% of servicemembers who have mild brain injuries and receive proper treatment completely recover, the task force said. According to Col. Robert Labutta, a neurosurgeon with the Army surgeon general's office, less than half of servicemembers who have experienced a mild traumatic brain injury in combat have persistent symptoms associated with it (Hefling, AP/Contra Costa Times, 1/18).
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