Comparison of veterans affairs and NIDILRR traumatic brain injury model systems participants with disorders of consciousness

ObjectiveTo characterize demographic, pre-injury, and outcome data within the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) cohorts with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) with no command-following ability at time of admission to acute rehabilitation.DesignRetrospective cohort.SettingNIDILRR and VA TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) centers.Participants396 NIDILRR and 72 VA participants without command-following ability who experienced TBI with subsequent Disorder of Consciousness (DoC).Main Outcome MeasurePre-injury and injury characteristics, rehabilitation outcomes, and 1-year self-reported outcomes.ResultsVA TBIMS cohort included individuals who were active duty or had military service before their injury. The VA cohort were more likely to be re-hospitalized at 1-year follow-up or residing in a long-term care or rehab setting. The NIDILRR TBIMS cohort had higher FIM and DRS scores at rehabilitation discharge, while the VA participants saw longer lengths of stay and higher numbers of "violent" injury types.ConclusionsThis study allows for a better understanding of the comparability between VA and NIDILRR DoC cohorts providing guidance on how veteran and civilian samples might be merged in future TBIMS studies to explore predictors of recovery from a DoC.