Several groups and organizations in Canada release guidelines and reports on brain injury that work to inform changes in treatment and policy. Please note we have only included evidence-based guidelines and reports. This list will be updated as necessary and is meant to be a starting point comprised of the most commonly referenced resources.
Brain injury guidelines
This section is meant to provide access to some of the evidence-based guidelines available across Canada for healthcare professionals. We encourage you to bookmark or visit this page to check for updates.
- Guideline for Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury & Prolonged Symptoms for Adults over 18 years of age
- Living Concussion Guidelines
The Living Concussion Guidelines: Guideline for Concussion & Prolonged Symptoms for Adults 18 years of Age or Older was developed to improve patient care by creating a framework that can be implemented by healthcare professionals to effectively identify and treat individuals with persistent symptoms following a concussion/mTBI. The third edition of the guideline was published in June 2018 and evolved into a living guideline in 2019. It was updated in 2023.
Features include:
- Patient and family version for each section of the guideline, containing the key information, and offering resources based on needs identified by persons with concussion
- A “What’s New” section highlighting recent updates
- An interactive and searchable platform allowing users to navigate the guideline more efficiently, making it easier for users to find the information they want
- Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport
- Parachute
The Canadian Guideline on Concussion in Sport has been developed to ensure that athletes with a suspected concussion receive timely and appropriate care, and proper management to allow them to return to their sport.
- Living Guideline for Diagnosing and Managing Pediatric Concussion
- The Living Guideline for Diagnosing and Managing Pediatric Concussion was released in September 2019. This guideline was developed to enable healthcare practitioners to identify and treat youth and children (aged 5-18) experiencing prolonged symptoms following a concussion/mTBI. The guideline was also developed with intent to educate parents and individuals working in community settings with children and youth who have sustained concussion/mTBI. The living guideline format allows for real-time updates based on new evidence.
- INESSS-ONF Guideline for Rehabilitation of Adults with Moderate-to-Severe TBI
- In partnership with Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS), ONF guides the development, and supports implementation of the guideline for the rehabilitation of adults with moderate-to-severe TBI in Ontario and Quebec. The Guideline for Rehabilitation of Adults with Moderate-to-Severe TBI provides recommendations for front-line clinicians, program coordinators, and managers working in rehabilitation settings. The INESSS-ONF Guideline can also be of use for community-based rehabilitation, within organizations or for rehabilitation provided in home environments. In 2019 the guideline became a living guideline and any updates will be identified in a “What’s New” section.
- Evidence-based Review of Acquired Brain Injury (ERABI)
- ERABI is currently in its 12th edition and is used internationally to educate and inform clinicians about the latest rehabilitation research evidence. ERABI is led by an internationally recognized team of clinicians, researchers, and staff all with the goal of improving patient outcomes through research evidence.
- Clinical Best Practice Guidelines: Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls Fourth Edition
- Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario
The purpose of this guideline is to outline evidence-based approaches for preventing falls and reducing fall-related injuries.
- Stroke Best Practices
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
The Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations (CSBPR) are intended to provide up-to-date evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and management of stroke and to promote optimal recovery and reintegration for people who have experienced stroke (patients, families, and informal caregivers).
Brain injury reports
This section is meant to provide access to health care professionals to some national reports available across Canada. This is not an exhaustive list and we encourage you to bookmark or visit this page often, as it will be updated frequently.
- COVID-19 reports
- Injury in review, 2020 edition: Spotlight on traumatic brain injuries across the life course
- Government of Canada
The third report of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) Injury in Review series, providing important national surveillance statistics on the causes of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) across the life course, including sports, seniors’ falls, assaults, consumer products, and more.
- At-a-glance – Traumatic brain injury management in Canada: changing patterns of care
- Public Health Agency of Canada
Examines data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (years 2005, 2009, and 2014) among all respondents ages 12 years and older. TBI management characteristics examined included access to care within 48 hours of injury, point of care, hospital admission, and follow-up.
- National Population Health Study of Neurological Conditions
- Public Health Agency of Canada and Neurological Health Charities Canada
The $15 million, four-year (2009-2013) National Population Health Study of Neurological Conditions (the Study) represents Canada’s first-ever population health study of neurological conditions. The Study was designed to address the lack of information about brain conditions in Canada. Findings are intended to inform Canadians and governing bodies about the impact these conditions have on affected individuals, families, and the health care system, and inform future program and policy development.
- Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada
- Mental Health Commission of Canada
Changing Directions, Changing Lives is the first mental health strategy for Canada. It aims to help improve the mental health and well-being of all people living in Canada, and to create a mental health system that can truly meet the needs of people living with mental health problems and illnesses and their families.
- Towards Creating a Mental Health Action Plan for Canada. Roundtable Report—2015
- Mental Health Commission of Canada
The discussions were structured around the six strategic directions from the Mental Health Strategy for Canada. With the help of a facilitator, 29 individuals representing a cross-section of the mental health sector took part in a series of lengthy and detailed discussions in small groups, reporting back to the room at large after each discussion.
- Safeguarding the mental health of health care workers
- HealthCareCan and Mental Health Commission of Canada
A joint issue brief on protecting the health and safety of healthcare providers, outlining the need to address the physical health and safety of health care workers and workplaces, as well as the equally important and urgent need to safeguard their psychological health and safety.
- The State of Homelessness in Canada 2016
- Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness
The State of Homelessness in Canada 2016 provides a roadmap for the way forward on the systemic issue of homelessness. Includes a series of joint recommendations – drafted by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Canadian Alliance to end Homelessness – for the National Housing Strategy.
