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Ohio State University TBI Identification Method Short Form
Availability
Please visit this website for more information about the instrument: Ohio State University TBI Identification Method Short Form

Freely available through the OSU website. Please be sure to use the link above when accessing the form. The Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Method (OSU TBI-ID) may be used free of charge and without further permission as long as no changes are made to the provided version. Versions have been developed that vary in length; the OSU TBI-ID can be adapted for specific populations and situations.
Classification
Basic: TBI Epidemiology
 
Supplemental: TBI Acute Hospitalized; Concussion/Mild TBI; and Moderate/Severe TBI: Rehabilitation, Huntington's Disease (HD) and Parkinson's Disease (PD)
Short Description of Instrument
The OSU TBI-ID is a standardized procedure to elicit the lifetime history of TBI for an individual. The instrument is based on Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2003) case definitions and recommendations for TBI surveillance.
 
Different verbiage is used when self-reporting a TBI. To avoid confusion and errors in reporting, the OSU TBI-ID first asks for recollection of all injuries that required medical attention, or that should have been treated. The OSU TBI-ID then focuses on injuries to head or neck with mechanisms involving high velocity forces. The occurrence of altered states of consciousness, the nature of the changes, and age at the time of the injury are then determined. The OSU TBI-ID provides data for calculating summary indices reflecting the likelihood that consequences have resulted from lifetime exposure to TBI. OSU TBI-ID Short Form can be used for clinical, research or programmatic purposes.
 
Administration method: Interview, either by telephone or face-to-face.
Administration time: Short Form is typically administered in about 5 minutes.
Comments/Special Instructions
The TBI identification training module may be accessed at the link above.
Scoring and Psychometric Properties
Scoring: Score is broken down into the following categories:
 
Number of Injuries with Loss of Consciousness (LOC):
Number of injuries with LOC (count total less than 30 minutes, 30 minutes to 24 hours, greater than 24 hours)
Number of injuries with LOC greater than or equal to 30 minutes (count total greater than or equal to 30 minutes, greater than 24 hours)
 
Age at First Injury with LOC:
Age at first injury with LOC
First injury with LOC occurred before age 15 (yes=1, no=0)
Classifying Worst Injury:
1 = IMPROBABLE TBI - if interview all questions #1-5 are "no" or if in response to question #6, interview data reports never having LOC, being dazed or having memory lapses.
2 = POSSIBLE MILD TBI WITHOUT LOC - if in response to question #6, interview data reports being dazed or having a memory lapse
3 = MILD TBI WITH LOC - if in response to question #6, interview data reports LOC does not exceed 30 minutes for any injury
4 = MODERATE TBI - if in response to question #6, interview data reports LOC for any one injury is between 30 minutes and 24 hours
5 = SEVERE TBI - if in response to question #6, interview data reports LOC for any one injury exceeds 24 hours
Number of Anoxic Injuries:
Total the number of times with LOC due to drug overdose or being choked
 
Interpretation of Scores:
The scores are indicators of lifetime exposure to TBI. The following are associated with the likelihood that the person is experiencing cognitive and behavioral consequences from the injury(s).
    • Number of injuries

    • Multiple lifetime injuries (including multiple mild injuries) are associated with greater cognitive and behavioral difficulties. However, more important than the number of injuries may be whether they occurred so close together that a person had not healed from the first when the next one happened.

    • Age at first injury with LOC

    • Injuries with LOC occurring before 15 years of age are associated with greater cognitive and behavioral difficulties. There is some evidence that the earlier in life a TBI is experienced the greater the effect on later behavior, especially self-control.

    • Severity of injury

    • More severe injuries are associated with greater cognitive and behavioral difficulties. Moderate and severe TBI's are certain to leave some permanent effects, even if the person recovered remarkably. Mild TBIs, especially those that cause more than momentary LOC may also have long-term effects.

    • Anoxic Injuries

    • Anoxic injuries are associated with cognitive and behavioral difficulties, especially problems with memory and concentration.

Rationale/Justification
Strengths:
    • Assesses lifetime occurrence of multiple causes of TBI including accidents, sports injuries, and blast injuries

    • Well validated

    • TBI based on CDC definition

Weaknesses:
    • Interviewer administered only. Not validated for self-administration. May want to use the risk factor questionnaire for head injury if self-administration is preferred.

    • Self-report of TBI history may under-report, however, this remains the gold standard.

References
Key References:
Corrigan JD, Bogner J. Screening and identification of TBI. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2007 Nov-Dec;22(6):315-317.
 
Corrigan JD, Bogner J. Initial reliability and validity of the Ohio State University TBI Identification Method. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2007 Nov-Dec;22(6):318-29.
 
Additional References:
Bogner J, Corrigan JD. Reliability and predictive validity of the Ohio State University TBI identification method with prisoners. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2009 Jul-Aug;24(4):279-91.
 
Diamond PM, Harzke AJ, Magaletta PR, Cummins AG, Frankowski R. Screening for traumatic brain injury in an offender sample: a first look at the reliability and validity of the Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2007 Nov-Dec;22(6):330-8.
 
Gardner RC, Rivera E, O'Grady M, Doherty C, Yaffe K, Corrigan JD, Bogner J, Kramer J, Wilson F. Screening for Lifetime History of Traumatic Brain Injury Among Older American and Irish Adults at Risk for Dementia: Development and Validation of a Web-Based Survey. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;74(2):699-711.
 
Hufstedler HC, Dorsman KA, Rivera EJ, Lanata SC, Bogner JA, Corrigan JD, Fuller SM, Borja XR, Wilson F, Gardner RC. Linguistic and Cultural Acceptability of a Spanish Translation of the Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Method Among Community-Dwelling Spanish-Dominant Older Adults. Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl. 2019 Sep 6;1(3-4):100020.
 
Lequerica AH, Lucca C, Chiaravalloti ND, Ward I, Corrigan JD. Feasibility and Preliminary Validation of an Online Version of the Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Method. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Sep;99(9):1811-1817.
 
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2003). Report to Congress on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Steps to Prevent a Serious Public Health Problem. Atlanta, GA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
Setnik L, Bazarian JJ. The characteristics of patients who do not seek medical treatment for traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj. 2007 Jan;21(1):1-9.
 
Warner M, Barnes PM, Fingerhut LA; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics. Injury and poisoning episodes and conditions: National Health Interview Survey, 1997. Vital Health Stat 10. 2000 Jul;(202):1-38.
 
Warner M, Schenker N, Heinen MA, Fingerhut LA. The effects of recall on reporting injury and poisoning episodes in the National Health Interview Survey. Inj Prev. 2005 Oct;11(5):282-7.
 
Document last updated August 2022