Adaptive ability, behavior and quality of life pre and posttraumatic brain injury in childhood.

Context: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common, acquired childhood disability, which has been shown to have a significant impact on children's cognitive and educational function. While behavioral problems are also noted, there is ongoing debate about the contribution of preinjury factors in this domain. Few studies have attempted to measure the impact of these preinjury functions on postinjury behavior.

Impact of posttraumatic stress disorder and injury severity on recovery in children with traumatic brain injury.

The adverse impact on recovery of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been demonstrated in returned veterans. The study assessed this effect in children's health outcomes following TBI and extended previous work by including a full range of TBI severity, and improved assessment of PTSD within a longitudinal design. There were 205 children and adolescents (6 to 15 years of age) who experienced a TBI that were assessed at 2, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months following the TBI.

Early attention impairment and recovery profiles after childhood traumatic brain injury.

Objectives: To examine recovery of attention from 3 to 6 months postinjury; to identify effects of injury severity and time since injury on performance; to explore whether complex attention skills (eg, shifting, divided attention, attentional control) are more vulnerable to traumatic brain injury (TBI), and slower to recover than simple attention skills (eg, attentional capacity, selective attention, sustained attention).

Design: Prospective longitudinal investigation.

Participants: A total of 205 school-aged children with TBI were divided into groups according to injury severity (mild = 63%, moderate = 27%, severe = 10%).

Which method of posttraumatic stress disorder classification best predicts psychosocial function in children with traumatic brain injury?

Controversy surrounds the classification of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), particularly in children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI). In these populations, it is difficult to differentiate TBI-related organic memory loss from dissociative amnesia. Several alternative PTSD classification algorithms have been proposed for use with children.

Solution focused nursing: an evaluation of current practice.

This Australian study explored the extent to which solution focused nursing (SFN), a new philosophy of care underpinning a Bachelor of Nursing Programme, was understood by students and staff. Students and faculty perceptions of teaching and learning were explored using survey and semi-structured interview methods. The results showed that students did not have strong views about whether solutions or problems contribute best to a definition of nursing knowledge, but there were some differences between the year groups.

'Closing the loop': the role of health care leaders in integrating research and practice.

The study reported here examines what health care leaders do to implement the routine integration of information into clinical practice decision making. Clinical leaders of a major Australian tertiary teaching hospital were interviewed. The study found that there is wide variation in the extent to which information is routinely used to inform practice.