Background: Concussions are a major health issue for children and youth. A follow-up visit is recommended within 4 weeks of an initial diagnosis. Although research exists on the time between injury and initial diagnosis on children’s health, no studies have investigated follow-up visit timing on health outcomes after pediatric concussion. In this study, we examined the occurrence of a residual health outcome after concussion between children who received and did not receive a timely follow-up visit.
Methods: A retrospective correlational design drawing on linked, population-based administrative data was employed. Data were accessed from January 2016 to December 2017 through Population Data BC. Occurrence of a residual health outcome was defined as health outcomes >3 months post-injury and was measured using concussion and concussion-associated ICD codes. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify the relationships between timing of the first follow-up visit and the occurrence of a residual health outcome.
Results: The likelihood of developing a residual health outcome was associated with the timing of the first follow-up visit. After controlling for demographic variables, concussed pediatric cases who had a delayed follow-up visit had higher odds (ORs = 2.68, 1.71, 1.67) of developing a residual health outcome up to 1 year post-injury compared to those with timely follow-up.
Conclusion: The finding of an association between residual health outcomes and the timing of follow-up care is notable. Our results suggest that there may be children and youth who experience preventable long-term sequelae from a concussion when timely follow-up is delayed.
