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A new national project in Australia is establishing a big data foundation to standardise the way care for individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury is delivered.
The Connect-TBI project aims to build "Australia’s first nationally representative data asset dedicated to moderate to severe TBI," according to a media release.
Building on existing TBI projects, it will integrate clinical, biomarker, imaging and psychosocial data based on the Clinical-Biomarker-Imaging-Modifier classification framework, which addresses the complexity and heterogeneity of TBI cases.
The project has three complementary workstreams focused on building an interoperable and future-proof data pipeline and laying the foundation for personalised, evidence-based care:
- Clinical innovation: define national quality indicators for TBI care, develop a localised neuroprognostication tool, and implement data dashboards for institutional benchmarking.
- Informatics: deliver the data asset with a strong focus on sustainability, automation, and security, leveraging the National Health Data Hub and HL7 FHIR standards.
- Research: conduct embedded clinical trials, discovery research, and adaptive platform trials.
Additionally, there will be dedicated advisory groups representing people with lived experience of moderate to severe TBI and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to guide data governance, privacy, and outcome measurement. These groups will ensure that the data platform is aligned with community values and health equity principles.
The project is a national collaboration involving various academic and research institutes, health services, registries, research networks, medical peak bodies, health advocacy groups, statutory authorities, and consumer and patient groups. It targets to onboard 15 trauma and rehabilitation sites nationwide.
WHY IT MATTERS
Around 46 in 100,000 Australians will have moderate to severe TBI each year, or 11,000 new episodes annually, according to Monash University's estimate.
Connect-TBI, a Medical Research Future Fund-backed national project, is expected to standardise how moderate to severe TBI care is delivered and studied in Australia by building a sustainable data foundation.
THE LARGER TREND
Various digital technologies, including AI and virtual reality, have been applied to enhance TBI care across the Asia-Pacific in recent years. Last year, an AI-powered screening tool that detects and quantifies intracranial haemorrhage, fracture, and midline shift in brain CT images was introduced in India. Multiple rugby-governing bodies in Australia and New Zealand have tried out a VR-based eye tracking platform to assist in diagnosing and managing concussions.
Meanwhile, Monash University has recently put up a free online resource that promotes assistive technology to people with acquired brain injury.
The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne has adapted a mobile eye test application, originally designed for sports-related head and brain injuries, to help detect and monitor neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
ON THE RECORD
"This national asset will not only improve outcomes for patients, but will reduce research waste, inform policy and resource allocation, and enable real-time quality improvement," said Connect-TBI chief investigator and Monash University professor Belinda Gabbe. She is also the head of Pre-hospital, Emergency and Trauma Research at Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
