A Guide to the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database

Abstract

The primary purpose of this paper is to describe the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Dataset (TBIMS ND) and discuss its potential uses in rehabilitation research by examining the data structure, key variables, and data trends. This database is the only longitudinal long-term follow-up data set that documents pre-injury characteristics, acute care and rehabilitation services, and long-term rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with TBI in the United States. The descriptive analysis presented in this paper are aimed to inform researchers about potential uses of this data set in rehabilitation research.