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Injury Surveillance Program

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Surveillance

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is damage to the skull and/or the brain due to an external physical force, or to the absence of essentials such as heat or oxygen. TBI is a major cause of injury, disability, and death in South Carolina. The Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance system seeks to improve knowledge about the magnitude of TBI, the causes of it, and the predisposing factors in South Carolina.

In September 1995, the Injury Prevention Division in the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the University of South Carolina Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (USC FPM) received federal assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to enhance the existing population based traumatic brain injury surveillance systems. The system continues to be funded by CDC and currently partners with the South Carolina Department of Disability and Special Needs (SC DDSN), the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, Office of Research and Statistics (ORS), and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

The system acquires data from statewide hospital records, vital records, and data abstracted from coroners’ reports. The data is used to plan, implement and evaluate prevention programs.

Data Abstraction

Data abstraction is the process of extracting information or data from a variety of resources. The South Carolina Injury Surveillance (SCIS) Program utilizes Medical Record Reviewers to extract data from the following sources: inpatient/emergency room medical records, vital records and coroners reports. These abstractions focus on individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries and those seen in Emergency Departments of South Carolina's hospitals.

The Division has developed a Data Abstraction Procedure Manual (pdf), which can be used as a template to develop data abstraction programs.

For additional information contact:
Georgette Demian 803.898.0681