Toolkit Helps Treat Patients with Co-occurring Conditions

By Corina Notyce, DCoE Strategic Communications

Treating patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be challenging because TBI symptoms can sometimes resemble a number of psychological health conditions. Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) developed Co-occurring Conditions Toolkit: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health to provide guidance on the assessment and management of patients with the co-occurring conditions of concussion, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain, depression and substance use disorder.

The tool kit is a user-friendly, comprehensive clinical guidance tool for primary care providers, featuring evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and recommendations from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. It provides tips for an effective first appointment; guidance on clinical assessment; treatment recommendations; medication information; and patient education websites.

In January, we wrote about a free mobile application where you can access the tool kit from your iPhone, iPad or Android device. National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2), a DCoE center, developed the Co-occurring Conditions Toolkit mobile app to give providers immediate access to critical and up-to-date information. Providers can use the app to identify appropriate interventions and timing of services to more effectively meet the needs and improve outcomes for patients who sustained a brain injury. Additional benefits of the app include increased use of evidence-based treatment recommendations, enhanced provider-patient interactions and more appropriate specialty referrals.

Visit the T2 website to see more military mobile apps.

Additionally, DCoE partnered with the U.S. Army to develop the Co-occurring Conditions Toolkit training video to provide an overview and offer instructions on how to apply the tool kit to clinical practice. The video is intended to be an on-the-job training reference and includes characteristics and descriptions of psychological health conditions; step-by-step instructions on using the tool kit; and real patient scenarios.

To order DVDs, or for hard copies of the tool kit, contact Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center by email or call 800-870-9244.