From: Chambard Torkelson, Vicki L. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]

Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 16:01
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Mayo Clinic and Collaborators to Study Use of Electronic Media to
Improve Care of Traumatic Brain Injury

 

November 5, 2012

 

Duska Anastasijevic

507-284-5005 (days) 

507-284-2511 (evenings)

Email: [log in to unmask]

 

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: A video interview with Dr. Brown is available for
journalists to download on the Mayo Clinic News Network
<http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/> .

 

For Immediate Release

 

Mayo Clinic and Collaborators to Study Use of Electronic Media to Improve
Care of Traumatic Brain Injury

 

ROCHESTER, Minnesota -- For people who are hospitalized for traumatic brain
injury, recovery may involve physical and cognitive problems that linger for
years. The road back to health can be even more arduous for those who live
in remote rural areas and don't have access to brain rehabilitation
specialists. Mayo Clinic <http://www.mayoclinic.org/>  and collaborators,
including the Departments of Health in Minnesota
<http://www.health.state.mn.us/>  and Iowa <http://www.idph.state.ia.us/> ,
Regional Health <http://www.regionalhealth.com/>  in South Dakota and
Sanford Health <http://www.sanfordhealth.org/>  in North Dakota, have
received a $2.2 million federal grant to test new ways to provide
specialized TBI care, with a focus on reaching rural areas and underserved
urban populations. 

 

"We know early intervention and longitudinal care give people the best
chance to minimize or prevent lasting effects of TBI, but that's not always
easy or feasible," says Mayo Clinic physiatrist Allen Brown, M.D.
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/bio/10513761.html> , Director of Brain
Rehabilitation Research
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/brain-rehabilitation/research.html>  and
principal investigator of the five-year study. "Our goal is to test a model
of care that delivers specialized brain rehabilitation resources to patients
and providers in underserved locations. We believe this is the first study
of this scope - four states, three health systems and two state departments
of health - using electronic technology to improve care with no face-to-face
contact."

 

The randomized clinical trial, led by Mayo Clinic
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/medicalprofs/traumatic-brain-injury.html> 's
Traumatic Brain Injury Model System Center, will test the effectiveness of
using modern technologies to create health care networks, using phone
consults, eHealth, telehealth, and virtual communication systems. With
advanced technologies, specialists may reduce the occurrence of complex
medical and psychosocial problems by providing support and education to
underserved areas and to community clinicians who see patients there.

 

"In the upper Midwest," says Brown, "rural dwellers, the elderly and Native
Americans have a high risk for TBI and are more likely to become isolated
after acute care because of their impairment, distance from services, and
financial concerns. The trial will test whether outcomes over three years
are better in the group receiving this model of care compared to a group
that receives usual care in their communities."

 

The study builds on more than 15 years of continuously funded Mayo Clinic
research studying TBI and establishing a community-based network that's
unique among brain rehabilitation centers. Researchers will include
specialists from Mayo Clinic
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/brain-rehabilitation/about.html> 's Brain
Rehabilitation Clinic. The study will also involve Mayo Clinic's Center for
the Science of Health Care Delivery
<http://www.mayoclinic.org/development/science-of-health-care-delivery.html>
, Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation
<http://www.mayo.edu/center-for-innovation/>  and the Mayo Clinic Center for
Social Media <http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/> . Funding for the clinical
trial, known as CONNECT, comes from the U.S. Department of Education, Office
of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, through the National
Institution on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

 

###

 

About Mayo Clinic 

Mayo Clinic <http://www.mayoclinic.org/>  is a nonprofit worldwide leader in
medical care, research, and education for people from all walks of life. For
more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org/about/ and
www.mayoclinic.org/news.

 

 


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