Jump to navigation Jump to content

Virginia Legal News

Are Virginia doctors not taking concussions seriously enough?


Posted on Nov 29, 2010

Did you suffer a concussion in a Virginia car wreck?  Do you feel like your doctor took it seriously enough?

 

If your answer is “no”, then you are not alone.  Some researchers believe that the medical community has a lot to learn when it comes to head injuries. 

 

Part of the problem may be semantics, or the language used to describe head injuries.  Researchers believe that doctors who label a head injury as a “concussion” take the injury less seriously than a head injury labeled a “mild brain injury”.  However, a head injury that involves damage to the brain should be taken seriously, whether or not the doctor chooses to call it a brain injury or just a concussion.

 

This language issue is more serious than you might think.  Researchers found differences in care between children with a “concussion” versus those with a “brain injury”.  The children with concussions spent less time in the hospital, were out of school fewer days, and were allowed to return to potentially dangerous activities like high-impact sports sooner than children labeled with a brain injury.

 

Researchers suggest that doctors use the term “mild brain injury” instead of concussion, to send the message to all parties involved in a patient’s care that the injury warrants more thorough care and monitoring.  In addition, researchers suggest that doctors be more specific when they describe a patient’s head injury, instead of just calling it a “concussion”.

Read More About Are Virginia doctors not taking concussions seriously enough?...

back to top




Michael S. Weisberg, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Email: info@weislaw.com
www.weislaw.com