The ACRM definition was a break through in 1993 when it was authored, as it was one of the first peer reviewed definitions of MTBI that did not require a finding of loss of consciousness for the diagnosis of TBI. Rather it laid out four alternative acute events for such finding: LOC, change in mental state, amnesia, or focal neurological deficits. The most significant of those four is amnesia, but it is also the element that gets inadequate inquiry post accident.
Also significant about this definition is the guidance that comes from the comments, especially the focus on the missed diagnosis in presence of other serious injuries and the acknowledgment that many deficits do not become apparent until the TBI survivor has attempted to return to work.
