Action Collaborative on TBI Care — Adapted Clinical Practice Guideline
Adults with a traumatic brain injury who did not need hospital care, or could care for themselves at discharge — the first U.S. guideline written for outpatient follow-up.
Action Collaborative on Traumatic Brain Injury Care: Adapted Clinical Practice Guideline
Key recommendations
- Confirm the diagnosis.
- Determine whether emergency department evaluation is required.
- Request neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment when indicated.
- Screen for social determinants of health.
- Provide guidance on return to usual activities.
- Educate the patient and family.
- Assess for risk of persistent symptoms.
- Prioritize which symptoms to target first.
- Initiate treatment for posttraumatic headache.
- Screen and initiate treatment for mental health disorders.
- Decide if and when to refer to specialty care.
How it shows up in our care
The first visit confirms the diagnosis and scores your risk of persistent symptoms; the plan names which symptoms to treat first; post-traumatic headache and mood are treated as part of the plan rather than referred out; and the physician who knows your case decides when to bring in the wider team.
About this guideline
The guideline was produced by the Action Collaborative on Traumatic Brain Injury Care, convened under the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, for adults with TBI who are managed outside hospital. Existing evidence-based guidelines were identified from systematic reviews and their recommendations for each priority topic were synthesized using the ADAPTE process — eighteen in all, including the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, VA/DoD, Concussion in Sport Group and CDC guidelines on this site.
It was published in the Annals of Family Medicine in 2025, with a full version in the Journal of Neurotrauma in 2026.
What it says about the conditions we treat
Confirm the diagnosis, assess the risk of persistent symptoms at the first visit, give guidance on return to usual activities, and decide which symptoms to treat first.
Assess for the risk of persistent symptoms, prioritize which symptoms to target first, screen for and treat mental-health conditions, and decide if and when to refer to specialty care.
Starting treatment for post-traumatic headache is one of the guideline's eleven priority topics; headache treatment starts early rather than waiting to see whether it settles.
This summary is paraphrased for general information — see the source for its exact wording and full recommendations. Go Clinic is not affiliated with, and has not been reviewed or endorsed by, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine or the Action Collaborative on Traumatic Brain Injury Care. Last updated October 2026. This page is not medical advice; Go Clinic's telehealth services are not for emergencies — call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Care that follows the evidence.
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