Integrating Neuropsychology Services in a Multidisciplinary Concussion Clinic

Objective: To describe the integration of neuropsychology services in a multidisciplinary concussion clinic and provide descriptive information on patients, services, and initial health status. Setting: A university-based outpatient sports medicine concussion clinic. Participants: A consecutive sample of 338 patients ages 8 to 84 years (median 23.5 years, 35% 13-18 years), 49.1% male, seen between 2014 and 2018. Patients' injuries included sports 42%, work 28.4%, and vehicular 12.1% and 48.5% were students. Design: Descriptive statistics with group comparisons. Main Measures: 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) T scores (mean = 50, SD = 10) referenced to US population. Results: Half of the patients were seen within 24 days of their injury and showed reduced physical functioning (40.2) and average mental (emotional) functioning (48.8). Patients seen after 24 days showed even more reduced physical functioning (33.9) and reduced mental functioning (41.0), both P <.0001. Average treatment time was also longer, 88.1 (173.9) versus 186.8 (211.1) days, P <.0001. Two-Thirds of patients were referred for cervical or vestibular physical therapy at their initial visit. Conclusion: Early referral for specialized care, including neuropsychology services, may be beneficial.