How Attorneys Can Prepare Clients for Concussion Testing
A client who knows what to expect arrives calmer and gives results that better reflect how they are really functioning. A short, honest conversation from your intake team is all it takes.
Who this is for: Written for attorneys, paralegals and intake teams preparing a client for a concussion testing visit.
Key takeaways
- Testing happens at the client's own treating provider's office. It is non-invasive: no needles, radiation or injections.
- Encourage a normal night's sleep and a normal meal, and remind clients to bring glasses, a medication list and symptom notes.
- The most important instruction is honest effort. Coaching a client to perform a certain way is inappropriate and counterproductive.
- Results are not given on the spot. They go to the treating provider after physician review.
- Confirm date, address, a contact for rescheduling and a ride.
Why preparation matters
Clients who know what to expect arrive calmer and more cooperative, and their results better reflect how they are actually functioning. Clients who are anxious, sleep-deprived or unsure why they are there may perform poorly for reasons that have nothing to do with their injury, or feel they must prove something. A short, calm conversation from your intake team makes the visit go far more smoothly.
Testing is designed to capture real function. Simply encourage honest effort.
What to tell clients about the process
Explain that testing takes place at their own treating provider's office, not at a lab or a law office. It is non-invasive: no needles, no radiation, no injections. Tasks include watching targets on a screen, short computer-based exercises, a seated brain-activity recording with sensors on the scalp and symptom questionnaires. A technician explains each step and breaks are allowed. A visit typically takes 30 to 60 minutes. Results go to the treating provider, who will discuss them.
Practical tips for the day before
Encourage a normal night's sleep and a normal meal. Clients should bring glasses or contacts, a list of medications and any notes about their symptoms. For the brain-activity recording, clean, dry hair without heavy products is best. Clients should keep taking their usual medications unless their provider says otherwise, and tell the technician what they have taken.
Related in this series: Testing Day Preparation Checklist, Patients: What to Expect on Testing Day and Intake Questions That Surface Hidden Head Injuries in PI Clients. For the full overview, start with our guide, Attorney Guide to TBI Documentation.
The most important instruction: be honest
Ask clients to do their best on every task and to answer symptom questions truthfully, without minimizing or exaggerating. Testing is designed to capture real function. Coaching a client to perform a certain way is inappropriate and counterproductive. Simply encourage honest effort.
Clients who are anxious, sleep-deprived or unsure of the purpose may perform poorly for reasons that have nothing to do with their injury.
What clients should not expect
They will not receive results on the spot, and the technician will not discuss what the results mean. Interpretation comes from the physician review and the treating provider. Testing does not replace emergency care or ongoing treatment.
Logistics to confirm
Make sure clients know the date, the time, the address of their provider's office and whom to call to reschedule. Transportation can be a barrier after a crash, so check that they have a ride.
A short script for your intake team
"Your doctor has arranged some non-invasive tests at their office to see how you are doing since the accident. Please get a good night's sleep, bring your glasses and medication list, and just do your best. Your doctor will go over the results with you. Call us if anything comes up before then."
Emergencies
If a client reports a worsening headache, vomiting, a seizure, weakness or confusion before testing day, tell them to go to the ER instead of waiting.
Frequently asked questions
What should clients bring?
Glasses, a medication list, symptom notes and any relevant medical records.
How long is the visit?
Typically 30 to 60 minutes.
Should clients try to do well or show their symptoms?
Neither. They should simply do their honest best.
We diagnose. You treat.
Mobile, physician-reviewed concussion and TBI diagnostics for Florida providers and their accident patients. Reports go to the treating provider, who decides care.
Book a 15-minute callRefer a patientOr call 813-709-3771
Sources
- CDC: Symptoms of mild TBI and concussion, including danger signs
- Seabury SA et al. Follow-up care after ED presentation for mild TBI and concussion: results from the TRACK-TBI study. JAMA Netw Open. 2018 (NIH PubMed)
- TRACK-TBI (Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in TBI), UCSF
This article is educational and is not medical or legal advice. If this is a medical emergency, call 911.