title: Methodological issues and research recommendations for mild traumatic brain injury: the WHO Collaborating Centre Task Force on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
abstract: The WHO Collaborating Centre for Neurotrauma Task Force on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury performed a comprehensive search and critical review of the literature published between 1980 and 2002 to assemble the best evidence on the epidemiology, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury. Of 743 relevant studies, 313 were accepted on scientific merit and comprise our best-evidence synthesis. The current literature on mild traumatic brain injury is of variable quality and we report the most common methodological flaws. We make recommendations for avoiding the shortcomings evident in much of the current literature and identify topic areas in urgent need of further research. This includes the need for large, well-designed studies to support evidence-based guidelines for emergency room triage of children with mild traumatic brain injury and to explore more fully the issue of prognosis after mild traumatic brain injury in the elderly population. We also advocate use of standard criteria for defining mild traumatic brain injury and propose a definition.
authors.affiliation: Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. lcarroll@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Linda J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: J David
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cassidy
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: Jess
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kraus
authors.forename: Victor G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Coronado
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D026683:Advisory Committees; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006287:Health Planning Guidelines; D006801:Humans; D008722:Methods; D012107:Research Design; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014944:World Health Organization