For the first time, doctors will have the opportunity for formal training and certification in the field of brain injury medicine as a result of the American Board of Medical Specialties’ decision in September to create a new subspecialty.
The brain injury medicine program arose out of growing interest from physicians who care for athletes and deployed soldiers with brain injuries, according to Dr. Larry Faulkner, president and CEO of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, which is cosponsoring the certification program with the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
A full training program is expected to be available within approximately 5 years, Dr. Faulkner said. He added, however, that physicians who can prove they have experience treating patients with brain injuries will be allowed to sit for the certification exam under the "grandfather provision."
The first certification exam will be held in approximately 2 years, but the committee still has to determine the training requirements, Dr. Faulkner said. Once the full program is developed, however, it will be open only to psychiatrists, neurologists, doctors in sports medicine, and doctors in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Every year, 1.7 million people in the United States suffer from a traumatic brain injury, and 52,000 people die from them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, the CDC estimates the 5.3 million Americans are currently living with a TBI-related disability. Creating a subspecialty opens new doors for advancing care, said Dr. Jose Cardenas, a neurologist from North Platte, Neb., who spoke on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.
"Having a formal subspecialty will create programs and fellowships that will focus on providing extra [education] for doctors who are interested in this subspecialty," said Dr. Cardenas, who is interested in becoming certified. "Having continuous education and having to have recertification is going to make us ... keep at least a minimum level of quality and level of knowledge that will then guarantee that patients get the best care possible."
According to the American Board of Medical Specialties, the program will have three main goals:
• Creating standards for evaluating and providing nonsurgical treatment for patients with brain injuries.
• Providing high-level care for patients with brain injuries, as well as their families, in both hospital and postacute care settings.
• Providing physicians with administrative skills, including program development, standards development, facilities planning, and quality assurance.
"The hope is that it will not only spur and improve the quality of patient care but also the quality of medical education for all medical students and residents, irrespective of whether or not they’re going into brain injury medicine," Dr. Faulkner said.