Impact of Timing of Mental Health Interventions for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

Objective To examine the impact of timing of mental health interventions in workers’ compensation claims for mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Methods A 10-year matched retrospective cohort study of MTBI claims. Cases who started treatment within 3 months of the date of injury were hard matched to cases who started treatment more than 3 months after the date of injury. Outcomes were incremental cost difference and loss of earnings benefit duration 1 year after first intervention. Results Seventeen percent (17%) of patients received mental health interventions. The early mental health intervention group had lower mean costs (incremental difference$1580 [95% CI: $5718 to $2085]) and shorter durations of disability (off loss of earnings) (59.2% versus 46.6%, NS). Sensitivity and stratified analyses demonstrated the same trend. Conclusions Early mental health interventions for MTBI patients may lead to reduced health care costs and shorter durations of disability.