National Concussion Surveillance System

Getting Answers about Concussion

CDC’s Effort to Build a National Concussion Surveillance System

“How can I protect myself and my family from a concussion or other serious brain injury?” It’s a question on the minds of many Americans.

CDC is committed to finding answers for Americans concerned about concussion and other serious brain injuries. CDC is working to develop systems and programs that best address this important public health problem.

A national surveillance system will allow CDC to start getting answers to this question and more.

CDC is Committed to Finding Answers

CDC received feedback from leading researchers and organizations about how to build a state-of-the-art National Concussion Surveillance System. CDC will conduct a pilot test of this system using a household telephone survey to collect critically-needed information Lessons learned from the pilot will allow CDC to refine and improve the system before a full-scale launch.

Benefits of the National Concussion Surveillance System

The National Concussion Surveillance System will be able to accurately determine how many Americans (children and adults) get a concussion each year, and determine what caused the injury. In addition, the results of a full-scale national system would inform and equip leaders within communities, states, and across America by:

• Providing the first national estimates of sports-related concussions among youth that occur both in, and outside of organized sports;
• Monitoring trends to understand whether the number of concussions is increasing or decreasing, and assessing the effectiveness of prevention efforts;
• Giving insight to health care providers and hospitals about where patients seek care for concussion and recovery needs; and
• Creating—for the first time ever—true national estimates of the number of people living with a disability caused by a brain injury.

The National Concussion Surveillance System will help improve the prevention, care, and recovery efforts underway at CDC and among groups invested in helping those who experienced a TBI.