New Zealand Statistical Association 2024 Conference

Angeline Xiao

University of Auckland

Evaluating the impact of timely access to concussion services on patient outcomes in Aotearoa

This is joint work with Alain Vandal and Braden Te Ao

The Aotearoa Concussion Cost-Effectiveness Services Study examined the cost-efficiency of ACC-funded interdisciplinary concussion services for patients who have persistent symptoms after sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury. It aimed to assess the impacts of timely access (the exposure of interest: early vs late presentation) to such services on symptom reduction, patient self-management, quality of life, functioning, and resource use. This longitudinal study followed participants over a period of 12 months. Mixed-effects regression models were used to determine the effects of presentation time on the outcomes. The assumed causal structure required the use of two-stage regression and inverse probability weighting to yield unbiased estimates of the exposure effects.