Earn Education Credits Through Mild TBI Web-Based Case Studies

By Corina Notyce, DCoE Strategic Communications

	Staff Sgt. John Womack plays the game "Blokus" with Rebekah McLean, speech language pathologist. The game is used by medical personnel to help patients who have a traumatic brain injury, with memory and speech problems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

Health care professionals can learn more about mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) while earning education credits through a series of Web-based case studies.* Presented by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA), these mild TBI case studies use real patient scenarios and are available to military and civilian health care providers.

Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) helped develop a series of 12 modules for providers to improve their knowledge of TBI-related issues and deliver better care to service members coping with mTBI. The platform enables providers to learn at their own pace and includes screening, diagnosis and management of symptoms in the non-deployed setting.

Ten case studies are currently available:

• Diagnosing mTBI
• Assessing the Individual with Persistent Symptoms
• Use, Administration and Interpretation of the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation (MACE)
• Assessing the Individual with Persistent Headaches
• Cognitive and Behavioral Symptom Management of mTBI
• Management of Hearing and Vision Problems following mTBI
• Return to Duty/Activity after mTBI
• Assessing and Treating Dizziness and Disequilibrium
• Defense Department ICD-9-CM Coding Guidance for Traumatic Brain Injury
• Assessing and Managing Fatigue and Sleep Dysfunction

Defense Department providers can access these modules through the Military Health System MHS Learn website. VA providers can access the cases using the Talent Management System.

Civilian providers should visit www.health.mil and go to the Civilian Provider Education section or directly to the Civilian Provider Education Portal to see the modules.

Continuing education units or continuing medical education credits are offered to health care professionals such as physicians, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, corpsmen, medics and others for each completed course.*

For more information about these Web-based case studies, contact Lt. Cmdr. Sara Woody, DCoE Education directorate, at sara.woody@tma.osd.mil. The remaining two case studies are scheduled to be released in the coming months — stay tuned!

For questions related to MHS Learn or difficulty accessing the courses, please contact the MHS Learn Service Desk at 800-600-9332.

Another opportunity to earn education credits is now offered through DCoE Monthly Webinars, which spotlights a different psychological health or TBI topic every month; this month’s webinar on Feb. 23 is entitled, “Treating Sleep Problems in PTSD and TBI.” Read more about this exciting new opportunity, “DCoE Webinar Attendees Earn Education Credits.”

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*Psychologist (APA) credit available June 2012