Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists
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Arch Clin Neuropsychol · Mar 2014
Perception of recovery after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury is influenced by the "good old days" bias: tangible implications for clinical practice and outcomes research.
Recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is primarily based on the resolution of post-concussive symptoms back to a premorbid level. However, the "good old days" bias means fewer premorbid symptoms are retrospectively recalled, thus skewing the determination of recovery relative to pre-injury. The objectives of this study were to investigate the "good old days" bias in pediatric mTBI and demonstrate the implications of this bias on perceived recovery. ⋯ Slow recovery did not have a differential impact on premorbid reporting. Using premorbid ratings obtained in the ED, instead of retrospective symptom reporting at the time of follow-up, suggests that a significant minority of patients believed to be "not recovered" actually have the "same or lower" symptom ratings at 1 (29%) and 3 months (41%) post-injury compared with before the injury. The "good old days" bias is present in pediatric mTBI by 1-month post-injury, influences retrospective symptom reporting, and has measureable implications for determining recovery in research and clinical practice.