Giedre Matuseviciene, Gunilla Eriksson, Catharina Nygren DeBoussard
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Danderyd Hospital, SE-182 88 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: giedre.matuseviciene@ds.se
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2025

Objective: To evaluate measures of activity, participation and quality of life 3 months after mild traumatic brain injury and the effect of an early intervention for patients with an estimated high risk for problems after mild traumatic brain injury.
Patients: Consecutive patients attending the emergency room with mild traumatic brain injury.
Design: Randomized controlled trial.
Methods: Patients reporting < 3 symptoms after 10 days were considered to have a low risk for prolonged problems. Patients with ≥ 3 symptoms (high-risk patients) were randomized to a visit to a physician or treatment-as-usual. Data on self-reported limitations in activity, restrictions in participation, and quality of life were collected for all patients at 3 months.
Results: At 3 months post-injury, low-risk patients reported good quality of life and significantly fewer problems in everyday life compared with high-risk patients. The intervention had no effect on activity, participation or quality of life.
Conclusion: Patients who report few symptoms early after mild traumatic brain injury are likely to have a good outcome regarding activity and participation. The intervention offered in this study, focusing on reassurance of a good outcome and treatment of comorbidities, had no effect.