Brain injury : [BI]
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Brain injury : [BI] · Aug 2000
Comparative StudyFunctional outcome for African Americans and Hispanics treated at a traumatic brain injury model systems centre.
To describe the demographics, incidence and functional outcome for African Americans and Hispanics treated at a traumatic brain injury (TBI) model systems centre. ⋯ Unmarried African American males, with an average age of 35 years, predominated at this institution. The primary mechanism of injury was motor vehicle accidents. The majority of patients had, at least, a high school education or passed an equivalency exam, were employed at the time of their injury and were discharged to their prior private residence. While half of the patients met criteria for moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption, only one-third of the patients reported a history of pre-morbid illicit drug use. This descriptive analysis supports the need for further investigation of minority populations that sustain TBI and will enhance the accuracy of implications that minority status may have on functional outcome.