Severe head injury: clinicians' awareness of the literature.

Objectives: 1. To determine the awareness of the literature concerning therapeutic manoeuvres in severe closed head injury (CHI) among Canadian critical care clinicians and neurosurgeons, 2. To identify factors that affect utilization of these manoeuvres, and 3. To compare reported appropriateness and frequency of use with #1 and #2.

Methods: The study design was a systematic scenario-based survey of all neurosurgeons and critical care physicians treating patients with severe CHI in Canada.

Results: Fifty-nine of 99 neurosurgeons and 82 of 148 critical care physicians responded (57%). The majority of respondents were not able to identify the highest level of published evidence for most manoeuvres, except for the avoidance of corticosteroids (51%). The factor identified by most respondents as being most important in motivating use of any given manoeuvres was the level of published evidence (25%). Although reported appropriateness and frequency of use of most manoeuvres correlated well with each other, they did not correlate with awareness of evidence. In the case of corticosteroids, there was a strong correlation between non-use of steroids and awareness of evidence (R = -0.30, p = 0.0003).

Conclusions: Respondents to this survey of Canadian physicians treating patients with severe head injury reported published evidence as being the most significant factor affecting use of a therapy. However, most respondents did not correctly identify the highest published level of evidence for most therapies. This study has identified difficulty with research translation that may have clinical implications.