Time to confront the global health crisis hidden in plain sight: why traumatic brain injury belongs on the global health agenda

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a growing global public health crisis that affects people in all regions of the world and across all age groups, with varied aetiology. Importantly, most of the TBI global disease burden affects those located in low-income and middle-income countries, where access to timely, safe, and quality care is more challenging. Improving care for TBI requires the synergistic efforts of multiple professional groups by coordinating prevention strategies, pre-hospital systems, emergency and acute care treatment, and support for chronic disease consequences. In 2022, WHO's Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders focused new attention on neurological conditions, offering an opportunity for TBI advocates to use this framework to improve the care of TBI for all. In this Viewpoint, we highlight how strengthening TBI care requires addressing all phases of the care continuum, from coordinating surveillance efforts to develop targeted prevention strategies, to upscaling pre-hospital referral pathways and acute care infrastructure. Furthermore, the large chronic burden of TBI needs to be recognised globally, where rehabilitation and long-term support need to be expanded and adequately resourced.