Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
March 21, 2008
Pg. 14
USA Today's article "Troops' brain injury tests put off, medical director says" might have left a wrong impression about traumatic brain injury (TBI) screening in post-deployment health assessments for returning servicemembers (News, Tuesday).
The primary focus of post-deployment screening is to identify individuals requiring additional medical evaluation. From the start of the Department of Defense's program in 1999, returning servicemembers were screened for a broad spectrum of symptoms, including some associated with TBI. The new questions concerned screening for events that might be related to TBI. There was disagreement among medical professionals whether these questions were appropriate or would raise undue concerns among people who were otherwise without symptoms. It would have been irresponsible to implement fundamental changes to screenings without a consensus among experts that additional questions would do no harm and improve the screening. As soon as the consensus was established, we deployed the screening form.
We have established the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury to research these critical questions. Medical science still has much to learn about mild concussion and brain injury. We are committed to providing the best care for our servicemembers who experience TBI, and to use information gathered to further the scientific understanding of this condition and ensure veterans receive every possible benefit to which they are entitled.
Michael L. Dominguez, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Pentagon, Washington
Editor's Note: The article by Gregg Zoroya appeared in the Current News Early Bird, March 18, 2008.
March 21, 2008
Pg. 14
USA Today's article "Troops' brain injury tests put off, medical director says" might have left a wrong impression about traumatic brain injury (TBI) screening in post-deployment health assessments for returning servicemembers (News, Tuesday).
The primary focus of post-deployment screening is to identify individuals requiring additional medical evaluation. From the start of the Department of Defense's program in 1999, returning servicemembers were screened for a broad spectrum of symptoms, including some associated with TBI. The new questions concerned screening for events that might be related to TBI. There was disagreement among medical professionals whether these questions were appropriate or would raise undue concerns among people who were otherwise without symptoms. It would have been irresponsible to implement fundamental changes to screenings without a consensus among experts that additional questions would do no harm and improve the screening. As soon as the consensus was established, we deployed the screening form.
We have established the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury to research these critical questions. Medical science still has much to learn about mild concussion and brain injury. We are committed to providing the best care for our servicemembers who experience TBI, and to use information gathered to further the scientific understanding of this condition and ensure veterans receive every possible benefit to which they are entitled.
Michael L. Dominguez, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Pentagon, Washington
Editor's Note: The article by Gregg Zoroya appeared in the Current News Early Bird, March 18, 2008.