Even after thousands of years of experience in treating patients with TBI, decisions regarding the optimal treatment strategy remain difficult for both healthcare workers as policy makers. The... Show moreEven after thousands of years of experience in treating patients with TBI, decisions regarding the optimal treatment strategy remain difficult for both healthcare workers as policy makers. The first part of this thesis investigated the challenges of the treatment decision-making process in patients with (severe) TBI by focussing on three factors considered to be important in this process: patient outcome, in-hospital healthcare consumption, and in-hospital costs. The second part investigated the procedural difficulties in TBI research efficiency by focussing on the process of institutional review board approval and the use of informed consent procedures in patients with TBI with an inability to provide informed consent. Finally, we elaborate on the role of patient outcome and in-hospital costs in the acute treatment decision-making process in patients with severe TBI and make suggestions to optimize future research initiatives. Show less
