Brylee Cresswell

Citation

Thesis Title
Treatments for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Fish Oil Supplementation and Information Provision in New Zealand Health Care Services

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) is the most common form of brain injury. It can cause physical, cognitive, and mood symptoms; treatment is multidisciplinary and begins with education. Ms Cresswell investigated both the potential for a high-dose docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fish oil supplement to treat mTBI symptoms, and the current practice for providing information to mTBI patients. She delineated pre-clinical evidence of the potential for DHA to treat mTBI and outlined procedural difficulties to be addressed in future randomised controlled trials. Her survey found that most health practitioners provided both verbal and written information, however the information was not always clear, readable, accessible, or available in languages other than English. Barriers to information provision included time constraints, patient concentration and distress, and a lack of appropriate resources.

Supervisors
Professor Janet Leathem
Associate Professor Ross Flett