More than half of patients hospitalized for a concussion receive no follow-up care within 3 months of their discharge, according to a national multi-center study published today.

Millions of Americans suffer concussions each year, and many endure symptoms for months or years afterward. But a study of 831 patients sent to top-level trauma centers for a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) found that only 44% saw a physician or other provider within 3 months of their injury, a critical period for care. In addition, only 47% received educational materials about their injury before they went home.

“The lack of follow-up after a concussion is concerning because these patients can suffer adverse and debilitating effects for a very long time,” said Seth Seabury, a lead author of the study and director of the Keck-Schaeffer Initiative for Population Health Policy at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. “Even patients who reported experiencing significant post-concussive symptoms often failed to see a provider. This reflects a lack of awareness, among patients and providers, that their symptoms may be connected to their brain injury.”

The study was published on May 25 by JAMA Network Open.

Data came from the ongoing Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury study, or TRACK-TBI. Supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the study has collected detailed information, including CT/MRI imaging, blood bio-specimens, and detailed clinical outcomes, for more than 2,700 brain injury patients from 18 different US sites.

“This finding demonstrates how NINDS’ support for observational clinical research in TBI, such as the TRACK-TBI study, can reveal gaps in patient care, which if corrected, may improve patient outcomes,” said Patrick Bellgowan, program director at NINDS.