Battelle to Assist VA in Surveys on Traumatic Brain Injuries

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwired - Dec 3, 2013) - Battelle recently won a five-year contract to assist the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to survey veterans from recent wars who have been evaluated for traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

The Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) award directs Battelle to provide technical assistance to the Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), a VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation which is part of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The initial task orders issued under this BPA are for conducting surveys with the veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND), who were evaluated for TBI.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 1.7 million TBIs occur each year either as an isolated injury or along with other injuries, and TBI is a contributing factor to about one third of all injury-related deaths in the United States. The VA recognizes TBI as a signature wound of OEF and OIF that often occurs in combination with multiple disabling conditions.

The objective of the first project (TBI Coordination Patient Survey) is to identify organizational and patient characteristics that drive better outcomes for veterans evaluated for traumatic brain injury. The findings will contribute to health services research, TBI patient care, and organizational literatures. It will inform future implementation studies that health care managers, policymakers, and key stakeholders need to translate research results into policy and practice.

The second project (TBI Subtypes Patient Survey) aims to: (1) identify clusters of persistent post-concussive syndromes and their associated demographic, comorbidity and causative factors; (2) identify VA usage and costs related to each syndrome; and (3) to monitor veterans symptoms over time to coordinate and integrate effective health care. Findings from this study will fill an important gap in the literature and will indicate potential points of intervention for effectively treating post-concussive syndromes and associated comorbidities. It will also allow for improvements in diagnosis, treatment planning and follow-up care for individuals with mild TBI.

This showcases Battelle's strength at performing large-scale, multi-studies, and mixed-mode data collection while protecting and safeguarding protected health information. 

"Battelle is proud to be working with the VA to improve the health and well-being of veterans," said Dr. Sudip Parikh, Battelle Health & Analytics General Manager. "Our staff will assist the VA project teams in developing mail and web surveys and collect data from about 12,000 veterans in two studies, and we'll leverage our experience and capability in survey research and apply state-of-the-art secure survey technologies to enable the VA to achieve scientific objectives to improve veteran health."

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.