Evidence-Based Evaluation Process for Traumatic Brain Injuries and Co-morbid Psychological Disorders in Service Members

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is associated with emotional and physical health problems, of which PTSD and depression are important mediators. Our Phase I research created a conceptual model for a user-friendly, empirically-based screening/tracking tool available to first responders and medical practitioners to screen for mTBI or other disorders. We assessed the co-occurrence of these co-morbid disorders with mTBI, determined the associated conditions, examined the implications, and evaluated diagnostic instruments that distinguish who is most at risk of impairment. From this information, JXT identified a pool of neuropsychological, neurological, physiological, and other test instruments for inclusion in a Statistical and Evidence-Grounded mTBI Evaluation and Neuro-assessment (SEGMEN) Tool. We documented important control and mediator variables; specified outcome variables; and prepared to evaluate the SEGMEN Tool in Phase II. This effort was driven by the innovative JXT Test Construction and Validation process model. We also created a conceptual demonstration of the SEGMEN Tool to assess usability and commercial potential. In Phase II, we will execute numerous, retrospective validation studies of the pool of test instruments, select the most powerful discriminators, and install them in a SEGMEN Tool prototype that can operate in stand-alone mode or integrated with Military Medical Systems located anywhere.