Head Injury Assessment in Primary Care for New Nurse Practitioners

A patient comes in after a head injury. They're having headaches, dizziness, brain fog, or nausea—but how do you know whether this is a concussion you can manage in primary care or something more serious?

Head injuries can feel especially intimidating as a newer nurse practitioner. You want to make sure you're not missing an intracranial injury, but you also need to know which patients actually need imaging and what to recommend for recovery.

In this updated episode, I'm walking through how I approach concussion assessment in primary care, starting with red flags and working through the history, neurologic exam, imaging decisions, and follow-up plan.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction to concussion assessment in primary care

00:21 Concussion cheat sheet and Digital NP Binder

01:30 Red flags after a head injury

02:41 When to refer to the ER

03:32 SCAT6, SCOAT6, and concussion symptoms

04:30 Key history questions after a head injury

05:42 Neurologic exam and signs of skull fracture

07:54 When does a patient need a head CT?

08:50 Concussion management and return to activity

10:02 Persistent symptoms and when to refer

10:40 ER precautions and follow-up

Want a Quick Reference for Concussion Visits?

The Concussion Evaluation & Management Cheat Sheet gives you a step-by-step approach to evaluating a head injury—including red flags, the focused neurologic exam, concussion assessment tools, when to consider head CT, and return-to-activity guidance. Get your copy inside the Digital NP Binder.

For a full transcript and conversation chapters, visit the blog https://www.realworldnp.com/blog/concussion-evaluation-nurse-practitioner

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