The Evidence Synthesis Program (ESP) Coordinating Center is responding to a request from the VA Health Services Research and Development Service for an update to the 2018 ESP evidence brief on the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to treat Veterans and non-Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in response to the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (“Hannon Act”). A secondary aim of this update was to provide an overview of assessment tools for measuring TBI and PTSD symptoms. Findings from this evidence brief will be used to inform a report to the Committees on Veterans Affairs of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives in response to Section 702 of the Hannon Act.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background
The Evidence Synthesis Program Coordinating Center is responding to a request from the VA Health Services Research and Development Service for an updated evidence brief on the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of traumatic brain injury and/or post-traumatic stress disorder, in response to the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (“Hannon Act”). Findings from this updated evidence brief will be used to inform a report submitted to the Committees on Veterans Affairs of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives in response to Section 702 of the Hannon Act.
Methods
To identify studies, we searched MEDLINE®, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and other sources up to October 2020. We used prespecified criteria for study selection, data abstraction, and rating internal validity and strength of the evidence. See our PROSPERO protocol for full study details.
Parr NJ, Anderson J, Veazie S. Evidence Brief: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury and/or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs (US); 2021 Jul. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572533/