Scoping review of secondary studies using the Federal Interagency of Traumatic Brain Injury Research datasets

BACKGROUND: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States each year and represents a significant public health problem. There is considerable heterogeneity of causes, diagnostic tools, treatments, and outcomes of TBI, and the volume of research on the topic reflects this. Despite the large body of research, significant gaps remain in our knowledge of how to diagnose and treat TBI. To address this, the Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research (FITBIR) Informatics System was developed. METHODS: This scoping review aimed to provide a descriptive overview of how FITBIR data has been used in published research since its inception, including the types of studies conducted, datasets used, and methodological approaches. Online databases were used to identify papers that utilized FITBIR data for secondary applications. RESULTS: Forty-nine articles were identified for inclusion through a literature search. We summarize the secondary uses of FITBIR data, focusing on how many and which data sets were used, as well as the varied approaches to data use. CONCLUSIONS: This review demonstrates successful use of existing TBI data to expand the knowledge base regarding diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, and suggests promising potential for future harmonization and synthesis of available datasets.