title: A comparison of new and existing mild traumatic brain injury vignettes: recommendations for research into post-concussion syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review and compare the mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) vignettes used in postconcussion syndrome (PCS) research, and to develop 3 new vignettes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The new vignettes were devised using World Health Organization (WHO) mTBI diagnostic criteria [1]. Each vignette depicted a very mild (VM), mild (M), or severe (S) brain injury. Expert review (N = 27) and readability analysis was used to validate the new vignettes and compare them to 5 existing vignettes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 44%. The M vignette and existing vignettes were rated as depicting a mTBI; however, the fit-to-criteria of these vignettes differed significantly. The fit-to-criteria of the M vignette was as good as that of 3 existing vignettes and significantly better than 2 other vignettes. As expected, the VM and S vignettes were a poor fit-to-criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These new vignettes will assist PCS researchers to test the limits of important etiology factors by varying the severity of depicted injuries.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuropsychology Research Group, School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. karen.sullivan@qut.edu.au
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Edmed
authors.forename: Lauren C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Cunningham
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012106:Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution