Following a period of review, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has updated their guidelines, primarily aimed at hospital doctor, nurses and ambulance crews, advising on the early detection and treatment of head injuries to avoid serious complications.
The guidelines focus on ensuring all head injuries are taken seriously and investigated in a timely manner. Key changes include:-
- Ambulance crews should take patients with a head injury straight to a hospital with resuscitation facilities where doctors and nurses can investigate and treat their injuries.
- Children and adults who have suffered a head injury but also begin to show particular signs that the injury may be serious or potentially life-threatening (such as seizures, suspected skull fracture, repeated vomiting or loss of consciousness[1]) should be given a CT brain scan within one hour. Others should be scanned within four to eight hours of their injury, depending on its severity.
- A hospital doctor or specialist who is trained in safeguarding (for example, potential abuse) should be involved in checking any patient with a head injury presenting to A&E, especially if it’s a possible non-accidental injury or a vulnerable person has been injured.
- Doctors and nurses should give verbal and printed advice to patients, with any type of head injury who are discharged from an emergency department or observation ward, and their families and carers. Any advice should be accessible and appropriate to the patient’s age.
Professor Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, said: “Over the past year media attention has focused on several high profile people who have suffered potentially serious head injuries but waited several hours before seeking medical attention. These incidents should act as a warning that any head injury needs to be taken seriously and treated quickly: although a person may appear fine at first, it is not uncommon for symptoms of a head injury to affect them some hours after the trauma took place. This updated guidance will ensure the NHS has the necessary processes in place to diagnose and treat head injuries in a timely manner, which will play a major part in saving the lives of people who have suffered a serious blow to the head.”
Every year 1.4 million are admitted to A & E in England and Wales. It is the most common cause of death and disability of people under the age of 40. Of these, ten hundred thousand will be admitted to hospital, and one in five will have a serious head injury or brain damage.
Find out more about the guidelines on the NICE website http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG176
