Caregiver reports of subsequent injuries among veterans with traumatic brain injury after discharge from inpatient polytrauma rehabilitation programs.

Objective: : We examined prevalence of, and potential risk factors for, nonfatal injuries among Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) postdischarge from Veterans Affairs inpatient polytrauma rehabilitation programs.

Methods: : We surveyed caregivers of patients who had military service anytime from 2001 to 2009, sustained polytrauma including TBI, received Veterans Affairs inpatient care from 2001 to 2009, were discharged at least 3 months before the study, and were alive when the study was fielded about caregiver and patient health, including patients' medically treated "accidents/new injuries" since discharge. We examined prevalence and source(s) of subsequent injuries and estimated patients' injury risk in reference to hypothesized risk factors.