Informatics Intervention for Self-Management of Pain after TBI

Abstract

The occurrence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post injury recovery are major public health concerns in the United States (Taylor et al., 2017). The number of TBI related emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths has increased over time and is currently about 2.8 million each year (Taylor et al., 2017). A prevalent and troublesome symptom following TBI is persistent pain, defined here as pain due to a health condition, disease process, injury or surgery that lasts beyond the normal period of healing, is resistant to treatment, includes physiological maladaptation, continues for at least 3 months, and is moderate or severe in intensity. More than three-quarters (75.3%) of those with mTBI report pain following injury (Nampiaparampil, 2008). Despite the prevalence and daily impact of persistent pain in persons with TBI, examination of contributing factors is a notable gap in this field of research. To promote optimal recovery and quality of life, there is a need to detect at-risk patients for persistent pain following TBI. This would enable development of interventions and rehabilitation services to ensure maximum post-injury recovery (Selassie, 2008). The purpose of this study is to fill a knowledge gap by first identifying patient risk factors for persistent pain, and then using that information to create a prototype for a personalized informatics intervention for symptom self-management.