Child and parent responses to a brain injury screening questionnaire.

OBJECTIVES

To determine, by using a Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire (BISQ), in a sample of urban public school students, what proportion of children are at risk for having sustained a brain injury, to measure the incidence of blows to the head and alterations in mental status, and to determine whether children and parents report differently on the BISQ.

DESIGN

Survey.

SETTING

Research facility and community.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 137 urban students (age range, 12-19y) of varied ethnicity, who were recruited in 2 public schools, and their parents.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The BISQ as completed by children and parents.

RESULTS

Fourteen children (10%) were at risk for having sustained a brain injury because they or their parents reported an alteration in mental status and 5 or more symptoms sensitive and specific to traumatic brain injury. Most children were reported to have experienced blows to the head, and 50% were reported to have experienced an alteration in mental status. In all areas, no significant differences were found between parent and child reports.

CONCLUSIONS

There may be significant numbers of children with undetected brain injury in schools. The BISQ is a useful tool to identify children at risk for having sustained a brain injury. Histories should be obtained from parents and children who are older than 11 years when screening children for brain injury.