TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - The emergency department social work intervention for mild traumatic brain injury (SWIFT-Acute): A pilot study
JO  - Brain injury
A1  - Moore, Megan
A1  - Winkelman, Amy
A1  - Kwong, Sharon
A1  - Segal, Steven P.
A1  - Manley, Geoffrey T.
A1  - Shumway, Martha
SP  - 448
EP  - 455
VL  - 28
IS  - 4
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To determine acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of Emergency Department (ED) Social Work Intervention for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (SWIFT-Acute) on alcohol use, community functioning, depression, anxiety, post-concussive symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder and service use. <br><br>METHODS: This study enrolled 64 patients who received head CT after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and were discharged <24 hours from a Level 1 trauma centre ED. The cohort study compared outcomes for SWIFT-Acute (n = 32) and Usual Care (n = 32) 3 months post-injury. SWIFT-Acute includes education about symptoms and decreasing alcohol use, coping strategies, reassurance and education about recovery process and follow-up guidelines and resources. Measures: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ), Patient Health Questionnaire-4, Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire, PTSD Checklist-Civilian, acceptability and service use surveys. <br><br>RESULTS: Paired t-test revealed SWIFT-Acute group maintained pre-injury community functioning; Usual Care significantly declined in functioning on the CIQ. Both groups reported 'hazardous' pre-injury drinking on AUDIT. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test showed the SWIFT-Acute group significantly reduced alcohol use; the Usual Care group did not. Both groups significantly increased medical service use. No statistically significant differences were found on other measures. Acceptability ratings were extremely high. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: SWIFT-Acute was acceptable to patients. There is preliminary evidence of effectiveness for reducing alcohol use and preventing functional decline. Future randomized studies are needed.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0269-9052
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/02699052.2014.890746
ID  - ref1
ER  -