How should the nurse respond when a patient with a mild traumatic brain injury asks, 'I was injured 24 hours ago. How much longer will my symptoms last?'

• A. Some symptoms will likely improve within the next few hours.
• B. They will be completely gone in about a day.
• C. They should be back to normal within a week.
• D. Some or most of your symptoms will likely resolve with 48 more hours.

Answer: (D)

After a mild traumatic brain injury, symptoms commonly begin to improve in the first couple of days. By 24 hours post-injury, you can expect that many symptoms will start to lessen over the next day or two, though some may take longer to fully resolve. Saying that some or most of your symptoms will likely resolve with 48 more hours gives a realistic, hopeful timeframe while still recognizing that recovery isn’t always complete right away. It’s not guaranteed that every symptom will be gone, and if headaches worsen, confusion returns, vomiting occurs, weakness, or new neurological changes appear, seek care promptly. The other options push for an unrealistically rapid or complete resolution within a single day or with a fixed timeframe, which isn’t typical for mild TBI recovery.