Citation

Backeljauw B, Kurowski BG. PM R 2014; 6(9): 814-824.

Affiliation

Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.pmrj.2014.04.004

PMID

24755513

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To gain an understanding of the current state of the evidence for management of attention problems after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children, determine gaps in the literature, and make recommendations for future research. TYPE: Focused Systematic review LITERATURE SURVEY: PubMed/Medline and PsychINFO databases were searched for relevant articles published in English over the last 20 years. Keywords included "attention" "attention deficit and disruptive behavior disorders", and "brain injuries". Studies were limited to children.

METHODOLOGY: Titles were examined first and eliminated based on lack of relevancy to attention problems after brain injury in children. This was followed by an abstract and full text review. Article quality was determined based on the United States Preventative Services Task Force recommendations for evidence grading. SYNTHESIS: Four pharmacological and ten cognitive therapy intervention studies were identified. These studies varied in level of evidence quality but were primarily non-randomized or cohort studies.

CONCLUSIONS: There are studies that demonstrate benefits of varying pharmacological and cognitive therapies for the management of attention problems after TBI. However, there is a paucity of evidence available to definitively guide management of attention problems after pediatric TBI. Larger randomized controlled trials and multicenter studies are needed to elucidate optimal treatment strategies in this population.

Language: en