• Joanne Sheedy, Evelyn Harvey, Steven Faux, Gina Geffen, and E Arthur Shores.
• Rehabilitation Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney 2010, New South Wales, Australia. jmshe9@student.monash.edu
• J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2009 Sep 1;24(5):333-43.

ObjectiveTo investigate the utility of a brief emergency department (ED) bedside screen for the prediction of postconcussive symptoms at 3 months following mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).ParticipantsOne hundred patients with MTBI (78% men; mean age = 33.6 years); 2 control groups (each n = 100), a "minor nonhead injury" group (77% men; mean age = 32.2 years) and an "uninjured ED visitor" group (78% men; mean age = 33.6 years).Main MeasuresBrief measures of neuropsychological functioning, acute pain, and postural stability were collected in the ED; telephone follow-up at 3 months using the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire was undertaken.ResultsNeuropsychological deficits, acute pain, and postural instability in the ED were significantly associated with postconcussive symptoms at 3-month follow-up. A regression formula using 3 easily obtainable measures obtained during acute stage of injury-immediate and delayed memory for 5 words and a visual analog scale score of acute headache-provided 80% sensitivity and 76% specificity for the prediction of clinically significant symptoms at 3 months postinjury.ConclusionA small combination of variables assessable in the ED may predict MTBI patients likely to experience persistent postconcussive symptoms.

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