Photo courtesy of brainline.org.

People who bump their heads in a bicycle, car or other accident may leave the hospital thinking they feel fine.

But they may later suffer from nausea, dizziness and sleep disturbances and not realize they  have a suffered from a mild brain injury.

A University of Washington study found that having a short conversation with a social worker can increase the odds such patients fully recover, according to this ScienceDaily article.

Megan Moore, DSW, a researcher at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, is training social workers in emergency departments to provide education and resources to patients with mild traumatic brain injuries.

Social workers can meet with patients while they are still in the emergency room.

“It’s a critical intervention point not only for the patients with mild traumatic brain injuries, but also for patients with other types of medical and psychosocial problems,” said Moore, whose research appeared in the April issue of Brain Injury.

Social workers help clients overcome health and mental health issues. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Health and Wellness and Mind and Spirit websites.