The initial assessment of a brain injury will determine the severity by placing it in a category of mild, moderate, or severe. To determine the approach to be taken after the initial treatment for further treating the TBI, several factors must be taken into consideration, such as, the severity of the injury, the classification, where the injury occurred on the body, and the signs and symptoms be presented. After classification, an appropriate prognosis will be developed to specify the approach needed to further treat the patient.
Definition.
Through my research of credible sources I have taken notice that there is no one way of defining a Traumatic Brain Injury. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)/ The National Institute of Health (NIH) defines a TBI by stating it is an "acquired head injury" that occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. They continue to state that "A TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue" (NINDS.NIH.gov). The Center on Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) defines it as caused by "a blow or jolt to the head (closed head injury) or a penetrating [open] head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain (CDC.gov). The American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine (ACRM) defines a TBI as a "traumatically-induced physiological disruption of the brain function (ACRM.org). A Traumatic brain injury defined by the DoD/VA is a "traumatically induced structural injury and/or physiological disruption of brain function as a result of an external force." (Cdc.gov DoD/VA code proposal 2008). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.) states that there is no unified definition of acquired brain injuries like a Mild TBI, which is why it is the most difficult to diagnose between the three severity levels.
