Healthy People 2030 adds traumatic brain injury objective supported by Model Systems Data Center at Craig Hospital

Data from the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database and Statistical Center, managed at Craig Hospital, will inform the new core objective to improve health for individuals with TBI.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Newly released Healthy People 2030 public health objectives now include a goal to improve the health and well-being of individuals living with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Data from the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database and Statistical Center (TBIMS NDSC), managed at Craig Hospital, will inform the new core objective to increase the percentage of adults who have resumed more than half of their usual activities within five years after TBI inpatient rehabilitation.

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2030 framework provides 10-year measurable public health objectives, along with tools to track the nation’s progress toward achieving them. This year, Healthy People 2030 announced three new core objectives and one new research objective — the first new objectives developed since the program’s launch in August 2020. Core objectives are associated with targets for the decade, reflect high-priority public health issues and are associated with evidence-based interventions.

Many people in the United States are living with a disability after TBI. Providing services and support to help people manage and lessen the long-term effects of TBI can improve overall health, quality of life and participation in their communities.

“TBI rehabilitation teams provide a comprehensive system of care for patients, which is built on evidence-based research,” Dr. Jessica Ketchum, a lead biostatistician at Craig Hospital, said. “The TBIMS program, which enrolls and follows participants with TBI at Craig Hospital and 15 other centers across the nation, provides important data for understanding the course of recovery following brain injury. The TBIMS national database informs research, treatment and policy, such as Healthy People 2030, to benefit individuals with TBI and their families. This data is key to better understanding areas of opportunity for providing improved interventions and patient care.”

The TBIMS program supports innovative projects and research in the delivery, demonstration, and evaluation of medical, rehabilitation, vocational and other services designed to meet the needs of individuals with TBI. The TBIMS NDSC, managed by Craig Hospital, serves as a central resource for researchers and data collectors within the TBIMS program. The NDSC provides data management, technical assistance, training and methodological consultation to 16 TBIMS centers as they collect and analyze longitudinal data from people with TBI in their communities and conduct research toward the development of evidence-based TBI rehabilitation interventions.

Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, the TBI Model Systems National Database is the largest TBI longitudinal database in the world, with information on outcomes for nearly 20,000 individuals up to 30 years post-injury.