[Health care needs of children and adolescents with a traumatic brain injury].

Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of acquired disability in childhood. Within a project to improve out-patient rehabilitation and aftercare advice, centres for families affected by traumatic brain injuries were implemented in four German cities. The results of two sub-studies are described which aimed on the one hand at a process analysis of the network operation and on the other hand at a prospective analysis of the network interaction. The process analysis was based on a database which was developed for this study. Within a prospective longitudinal study, 103 families could be included. At four project sites, families were questioned with an interview and questionnaire at three different time points. Health-related quality of life, utilisation and health care satisfaction were assessed. In addition, a neuropsychological assessment was conducted with a portion of the sample. Overall, quality of life of the children and adolescents can be described as good. Health care services were scarcely utilised. A childcentred health care was predictive for the health care satisfaction of the parents. The short assessment proved to be a feasible method for identifying children and adolescents with special health care needs.