Kelly Sarmiento

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | HHS · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Background: Current guidelines recommend healthcare professionals avoid routine use of neuroimaging for diagnosing mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Objective: This study aimed to examine current use of CT and MRI among children and young adult patients with mTBI and factors that increase likelihood of neuroimaging in this population. Materia...

Introduction: The reliability of self-reported brain injury data relies on how well people interpret the questions. Objective: This study examines how different yet commonly used questions may impact traumatic brain injury (TBI) estimates. Methods: Self-report data were collected from 4,053 respondents in the summer wave of Porter Novelli's 20...

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of homicide-related death in the United States. Penetrating TBI associated with firearms is a unique injury with an exceptionally high mortality rate that requires specialized neurocritical trauma care. Objective: To report incidence patterns of firearm-related and nonfirearm-related TB...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HEADS UP youth sports coach materials are the most widely adopted form of concussion education for coaches across the United States-reaching millions of youth sports coaches over the last decade. These materials focus on concussion symptom identification, response, and management (e.g., return to...

Coaches play an important role in concussion safety and their views on concussion influence those of their athletes and athletes' reporting behaviors. This 2021 survey of youth examined how often coaches provide concussion safety information to their athletes and the association between the presence of athletic trainers (ATs) at a team's games and...

Background Concussions affect millions of youths in the United States each year, and there is concern about long-term health effects from this injury. Purpose To examine the association between sports- or physical activity–related concussion and health risk behaviors among middle and high school students in 9 states. Study Design Cross-sectional...

The circumstances and nature of concussions among youth who play tackle, flag, or touch football are not well understood. This study used data from Utah's Student Injury Reporting System (SIRS) to explore suspected concussions among K-12 students sustained during participation in football-related activities (tackle, flag, or touch football). Descri...

Background Concussion education for parents/guardians (hereafter referred to as parents) has the potential to play an important role in youth athlete concussion safety. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) HEADS UP handout on parent–child communication about concussion. Methods...

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at increased risk of adverse behaviors and health indicators, such as certain chronic physical and mental health conditions. However, little is known about the prevalence of these behaviors and health indicators among these individuals, information that co...

Background: Compared with civilians, service members and veterans who have a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more likely to experience poorer physical and mental health. To investigate this further, this article examines the association between self-reported history of TBI with loss of consciousness and living with 1 or more current di...

BACKGROUND To inform prevention strategies, this study provides incidence, factors, and actions taken when a suspected concussion occurred in K-12 schools in Utah. METHODS Data were collected using Utah's Student Injury Reporting System (SIRS) from the academic years 2011-2012 to 2018-2019. SIRS is a unique online system that tracks injuries that...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the effectiveness of school district concussion policies on reducing the concussion prevalence among students. METHODS Data from the 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study and 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for 10 school districts were linked. The outcome variable was having a sports- or physical activity...

Study objective A better understanding of differences in traumatic brain injury incidence by geography may help inform resource needs for local communities. This paper presents estimates on traumatic brain injury–related hospitalizations and deaths by urban and rural county of residence. Methods To estimate the incidence of traumatic brain injury–...

Head impacts in American football may lead to brain injuries called concussions. To study head impacts in young people who play American football, we collected data using sensors in mouthguards worn by young American football players. The sensors counted the number of hits and bumps to the head (head impacts) that players of American tackle and fla...

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have contributed to approximately one million deaths in the United States over the last 2 decades (1). CDC analyzed National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) mortality data for a 3-year period (2016-2018) to examine numbers and rates of TBI-related deaths, the percentage difference between each state's rate and the ove...

Information is limited about signs and symptoms experienced by individuals who self-report a concussion within surveys. The objective of this study was to assess the number and types of signs/symptoms adults experienced and whether or not medical attention was reported after sustaining a self-reported concussion in the past year. A sample of 3,624...

Background Interventions designed to reduce the risk for head impacts and concussion in youth football have increased over the past decade; however, understanding of the role of regular game play on head impact exposure among youth tackle and flag football athletes is currently limited. Purpose To explore head impact exposure among youth tackle an...

Bicycling leads to the highest number of sport and recreation-related emergency department (ED) visits for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the United States (1). Because bicycling continues to grow in popularity,* primarily among U.S. adults, examining the strategies that mitigate the risk for TBI is important. CDC analyzed data from the Nationa...

Background: Many healthcare providers do not consistently implement recommendations contained in clinical guidelines on mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). As such, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the HEADS UP to Healthcare Providers online training to promote uptake of five key recommendations in the CDC Pediatric mTB...

Background Promoted as a safer alternative to tackle football, there has been an increase in flag football participation in recent years. However, examinations of head impact exposure in flag football as compared with tackle football are currently limited. Hypothesis Tackle football athletes will have a greater number and magnitude of head impacts...

Objective: To assess adherence to 5 key recommendations in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evidence-based guideline on pediatric mild traumatic brain injury, this article presents results from the 2019 DocStyles survey. Study design: Cross-sectional, web-based survey of 653 healthcare providers. Results: Most healthcare provider...

Background : There is evidence to suggest that traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are increasing in the United States. It is important to examine predictors of TBI outcomes to formulate better prevention and care strategies. Research Design : National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) data from 2016 were used to report the percentage of TBI by age, sex, race/et...

Background There is a dearth of information and guidance for healthcare providers on how to manage a patient’s return to driving following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Methods Using the 2020 DocStyles survey, 958 healthcare providers were surveyed about their diagnosis and management practices related to driving after an mTBI. Results Ap...

Objective: To provide state-level traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related emergency department (ED) visit, hospitalization, and death estimates by age group for 2014. Setting and participants: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program and State Injury Indicators-participating states. Design: Cross-se...

Objective: To provide state-level traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related emergency department (ED) visit, hospitalization, and death estimates for 2014. Setting and participants: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program and State Injury Indicators participating states. Design: Cross-sectional....

Objective: To provide state-level traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related emergency department (ED) visit, hospitalization, and death estimates by sex for 2014. Setting and participants: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program and State Injury Indicators-participating states. Design: Cross-sectiona...

Background This study examined the association between sports- or physical activity–related concussions and having seriously considered attempting suicide, made a suicide plan, or attempted suicide (ie, suicidality), and tested potential moderators of the association. Hypothesis Risk factors such as persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,...

Objective: Because of the growing concern about the potential effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) on a child's developing brain and the potential impact of lifetime depression and risk behaviors associated with TBI, further exploration is warranted. Setting and participants: Data (N = 4917) from the 2017 North Carolina Behavioral Risk Fac...

During 2010-2016, there were an average of 283,000 U.S. emergency department (ED) visits each year among children for sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (SRR-TBIs); approximately 45% of these SRR-TBIs were associated with contact sports (1). Although most children with an SRR-TBI are asymptomatic within 4 weeks, there is growing...

CDC's 2018 Guideline for current practices in pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI; also referred to as concussion herein) systematically identified the best up-to-date practices based on current evidence and, specifically, identified recommended practices regarding CT, MRI, and skull radiograph imaging. In this commentary, we discuss types...

Objective: The American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population has a disproportionately high rate of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). However, there is little known about incidence and common mechanisms of injury among AI/AN persons who seek care in an Indian Health Service (IHS) or tribally managed facility. Methods: Using the IHS National Pat...

Background: Sports- and recreation-related concussions are a common injury among children. Sports officials (SOs) and athletic trainers (ATs) are integral to setting the stage for safe play and managing concussions when they occur, and significant numbers of both groups have completed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HEADS UP onlin...

Statement of Purpose Traumatic brain injury (TBI) mortality rates have been shown to be higher in rural versus urban areas. Variation by age and intent/mechanism of injury has not been assessed. Urban–rural TBI mortality rate differences were quantified by age and intent/mechanism of injury. Methods/Approach National Vital Statistics System mortal...

Background: This paper sought to examine the frequency of self-reported sports- and recreation-related (SRR) concussion, as well as care-seeking behaviors and potential activity restrictions after concussions, in a sample of youth. Methods: A sample of 845 youth ages 12–17 years responded to the web-based YouthStyles survey in 2018. The survey meas...

Due in part to concern about the potential long-term effects of concussion and repetitive head injuries in football, some programs have implemented tackling interventions. This paper explores youth football coaches’ perception of football safety and their experiences implementing these interventions aimed at athlete safety. Using a qualitative appr...

To identify opportunities to improve coach-athlete communication, this study examined young athletes' perceptions and concerns about concussion, as well as their information needs. A qualitative data collection approach, based on the grounded theory methodology, was utilized. Six virtual focus groups were conducted with 17 male and female athletes’...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects the lives of millions of Americans each year (1). To describe the trends in TBI-related deaths among different racial/ethnic groups and by sex, CDC analyzed death data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) over an 18-year period (2000-2017). Injuries were also categorized by intent, and unintentional...

Introduction: Despite progress, injury remains the leading cause of preventable death for American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN), aged 1 to 44. There are few publications on injuries among the AI/AN population, especially those on traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI can cause short- or long-term changes in cognition, communication, and/or emot...

Objective: In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) published an evidence-based guideline on the diagnosis and management of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among children. This commentary summarizes the key recommendations in the CDC Pediatric mTBI Guideline most relevant for neuropsychologists and discusses research gaps and t...

Background For 15 years, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) HEADS UP education campaign has focused on increasing awareness of concussion among children to reduce adverse outcomes from this injury. Objective To keep pace with the rapid expansion in media coverage, research, state laws and education efforts on concussion, the...

Objective: Because of limitations in current national data sets, respondent self-report may be critical to obtaining concussion prevalence estimates. We examined whether self-report of lifetime concussion among adults varies with the provision of a concussion definition and by the content of that definition. Setting and participants: A convenien...

Objective: The recently published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evidence-based guideline on pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) was developed following an extensive review of the scientific literature. Through this review, experts identified limitations in existing pediatric mTBI research related to study setting and generali...

Background: Concussion, a commonly reported injury among young athletes, can lead to short- and long-term physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related symptoms. Parents are in a unique position to help identify a possible concussion and to support an athlete's recovery. Methods: This qualitative study used a focus group methodology to explo...

Purpose of review: In September 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an evidence-based guideline on the diagnosis and management of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among children. Recent findings: Based on a systematic review of the evidence that covers research published over a 25-year span (1990-2015), the CD...

Background: Concussions are common among youth athletes. Responsibility for the recognition and management of concussion is often put on coaches. To equip coaches with appropriate knowledge and skills, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the HEADS UP: Concussion in Youth Sports online training. Objectives: To determi...

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, are at the forefront of public concern about athletic injuries sustained by children. Caused by an impact to the head or body, a TBI can lead to emotional, physiologic, and cognitive sequelae in children (1). Physiologic factors (such as a child's developing nervous system and thinner cranial...

Introduction: Concussions are a commonly reported injury in youth and high school sports and much of the responsibility related to concussion identification and response for young athletes is allocated to sports coaches. This paper presents findings on concussion-related education, access to resources, experiences, and attitudes among a large numb...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published an evidence-based guideline, "Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Among Children." The guideline has many applications for athletic trainers. The following commentary provides considerations for athletic trainers regarding the guideline in conjunction with...

Background: Given the growing research on potential adverse outcomes related to concussion and other serious brain injuries and the increased susceptibility for concussion among youth athletes, primary prevention is vital to protect the health and safety of this population. Purpose: To summarize the current research on risk factors and primary conc...

Introduction: Current research recommends that students returning to school after a concussion should receive a return to school plan that is tailored to their individual symptoms. School professionals play important roles in designing and implementing the supports outlined in return to school plans. Methods: This qualitative study explored midd...

Objectives: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an evidence-based guideline on the diagnosis and management of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in 2018. This commentary provides key practice takeaways for sports medicine providers outlined in the Guideline recommendations. Data sources: The CDC Pediatric mT...

Introduction/Background: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease thought to be caused by repeated head impacts and associated with deficits in cognition. Despite research and media attention, there is little science-based information available for the public. Also unclear is what the public and particularly parents of...

Introduction: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Guideline was created to help standardize diagnosis, prognosis, and management and treatment of pediatric mTBI. This paper describes the process CDC used to develop educational tools, and a dissemination and implementation strategy, in s...

IMPORTANCE Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, in children is a rapidly growing public health concern because epidemiologic data indicate a marked increase in the number of emergency department visits for mTBI over the past decade. However, no evidence-based clinical guidelines have been developed to date for diagnosing and managing...

Importance Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, in children is a rapidly growing public health concern because epidemiologic data indicate a marked increase in the number of emergency department visits for mTBI over the past decade. However, no evidence-based clinical guidelines have been developed to date for diagnosing and managing...

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2698455

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Objective: Explore healthcare providers’ experiences managing mTBI and better understand their use of mTBI assessment tools and guidelines. Cross-sectional Methods: A random sample of 1,760 healthcare providers responded to the web-based DocStyles survey between June 18 and 30, 2014. The sample included family/general practitioners, internists, ped...

Background: Concussions are responsible for numerous emergency department visits and hospitalizations among children annually. However, there remains a great deal of confusion about how to prevent and manage concussions in youth. To teach children aged 6 to 8 years about concussion safety, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) creat...

BACKGROUND In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences emphasized the need to develop, implement, and evaluate effective large‐scale educational strategies to improve the culture of concussion in youth and high school sports. In support of this recommendation, in this article we summarize research on factors that contribute to the culture of concussi...

Introduction Primary care providers play a critical role in protecting older adult patients from one of the biggest threats to their health and independence—falls. A fall among an older adult patient cannot only be fatal or cause a devastating injury, but can also lead to problems that can effect a patient's overall quality of life. Methods In res...

Background Children and adolescents account for an estimated 65% of emergency department visits for sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions. Immediate identification and appropriate response to a concussion can help reduce the risk of short- or long-term health problems that can affect thinking, learning, behav...

To describe the reach of the Heads Up "Concussion in Sports: What You Need to Know," online course and to assess knowledge change. Online. Individuals who have taken the free online course since its inception in May 2010 to July 2013. Descriptive, uncontrolled, before and after study design. Reach is measured by the number of unique participants an...

The Journal of Safety Research has partnered with the Office of the Associate Director for Science, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention in the National Center for Injury Prevention & Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, to briefly report on some of the latest findings in the research and...

Purpose: Although much effort is underway by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other organizations to highlight the seriousness of traumatic brain injury, including concussions, among young athletes, little is known about how these athletes and their parents view this injury and how much they know about it. Methods: Online...

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a public health problem in the United States. In 2009, approximately 3.5 million patients with a TBI listed as primary or secondary diagnosis were hospitalized and discharged alive (N=300,667) or were treated and released from emergency departments (EDs; N=2,077,350), outpatient departments (ODs; N=83,857), and offic...

In an effort to encourage appropriate field triage procedures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American College of Surgeons-Committee on Trauma, convened the National Expert Panel on Field Triage to update the Field Triage Decision Scheme: The Nat...

Concussions remain a serious public health concern. It is important that persons involved in youth sports, particularly coaches, be made aware and educated on the signs and symptoms of concussion. This study assessed the perceptions of youth sport coaches who have received the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) "Heads Up: Concussi...

Background: Youth ages 518 years account for 65% of emergency department visits for sports and recreation-related TBIs. A TBI can cause short- or long-term problems affecting a student's memory, learning, and concentration. Thus, CDC developed Heads Up to Schools: Know Your Concussion ABCs to deliver concussion information to school professionals o...

To reduce the number of sports-related concussions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the support of partners and experts in the field, has developed a tool kit for high school coaches with practical, easy-to-use concussion-related information. This study explores the success of the tool kit in changing knowledge, attitudes...

Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among older adults aged 75 and older. Despite this burden, many older adults, their caregivers, and professionals are not aware of the importance of TBI as an outcome of falls among older adults. To address this important public health problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventio...

Among older adults, both unintentional falls and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) result in significant morbidity and mortality; however, only limited national data on fall-related TBI are available. To examine the relationship between older adult falls and TBI deaths and hospitalizations, CDC analyzed 2005 data from the National Center for Health St...

Approximately 1.6-3.8 million sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur in the U.S. each year, and teenagers are one of the groups at highest risk. In order to address this need, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created and distributed a national TBI education and awareness tool kit, Heads Up: Concussi...

Sports-related concussions can happen to any athlete in any sport. Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur, most of which can be classifi ed as concussions. To help coaches prevent, recognize, and better manage sports-related concussions, the Centers for Diseas...

Harlem Hospital Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) Program, New York City. To identify various pathways to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, and determine time to diagnosis and reasons for delay, to ensure rapid diagnosis of TB and prompt initiation of appropriate treatment. Cross-sectional survey of the help-seeking behavior of TB patients within 2 months...