@article{ref1,
title="Healthcare Utilization in the First Year After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury in an Insured Population",
journal="Journal of head trauma rehabilitation",
year="2013",
author="Keenan, Heather T. and Murphy, Nancy A. and Staheli, Russ and Savitz, Lucy A.",
volume="28",
number="6",
pages="426-432",
abstract="OBJECTIVE:: To compare the healthcare use by children with and without a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the year following injury to understand whether children access primary care. PARTICIPANTS:: Children 0 to 15 years with a TBI (N = 545) and (N = 2310) uninjured age and sex-matched comparisons. SETTING:: A full benefits healthcare plan from 2000 to 2007. MAIN MEASURES:: Mean annual healthcare utilization. RESULTS:: Children with TBI had higher mean annual outpatient visits (4.2 vs 3.5, P = .001), but similar mean annual general pediatric visits (2.7 vs 2.8, P = .3) than comparison children. More cases than comparisons attended a general pediatric visit (80.0% vs 73.3%, risk ratio = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0-1.1). However, approximately 50% of children older than 7 years who had an intracranial injury did not attend a general pediatric visit and those were slightly more likely to receive specialty care (adjusted risk ratio = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0-1.2). These children did not appear to be substituting specialty for primary care. CONCLUSIONS:: Children with a full benefits insurance plan do not access primary care routinely after TBI. These findings present a challenge for designing a system to screen children after TBI.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0885-9701",
doi="10.1097/HTR.0b013e31825935b8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/HTR.0b013e31825935b8"
}