Validating the Traumatic Brain Injury-4 Screening Measure for Veterans Seeking Mental Health Treatment With Psychiatric Inpatient and Outpatient Service Utilization Data

Veterans screening positive for history of traumatic brain injury on the TBI-4 had more hospital stays in the year postmental health intake. Those who reported having been knocked out also had fewer outpatient mental health visits. These findings may suggest an overall relation in this population between greater needs for mental health care and likelihood of prior injury. For those with a history of loss of consciousness, the reduced use of outpatient care may reflect greater problems engaging in treatment or with preventive aspects of the health care system during non-crisis periods. Using a screener (eg, the TBI-4) could facilitate identification of veterans who might benefit from targeted and intensive outpatient interventions to avoid frequent inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.