The guideline for pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines specific actions for healthcare providers to improve care.  Dr. Stanley Herring, senior medical advisor and co-founder of the UW Medicine Sports Health and Safety Institute, is one of the authors.

Here are five key practice-changing recommendations from the CDC:

1. Do not routinely image pediatric patients to diagnose mTBI.
2. Use validated, age-appropriate symptom scales to diagnose mTBI.
3. Assess for risk factors for prolonged recovery, including history of mTBI or other brain injury, severe symptom presentation immediately after the injury, and personal characteristics and family history (such as learning difficulties and family and social stressors).
4. Provide patients and their parents/caregivers with instructions on returning to activity customized to their symptoms.
5. Counsel patients and their parents/caregivers to return gradually to non-sports activities after no more than 2 to 3 days of rest.

Herring discusses the topic in this downloadable video segment.