The impact of traumatic brain injury on economic productivity in the Caribbean

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the Caribbean as well as globally. Within the Caribbean, the prevalence of TBI is approximately 706 per 100,000 persons – one of the highest rates per capita in the world. RESEARCH QUESTION: We aim to assess the economic productivity lost due to moderate to severe TBI in the Caribbean. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The annual cost of economic productivity lost in the Caribbean from TBI was calculated from four variables: (1) the number of people with moderate to severe TBI of working age (15–64 years), (2) the employment-to-population ratio, (3) the relative reduction in employment for people with TBI, and (4) per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate whether the uncertainty of the TBI prevalence data result in substantive changes in the productivity losses. RESULTS: Globally, there was an estimated 55 million (95% UI 53, 400, 547 to 57, 626, 214) cases of TBI in 2016 of which 322,291 (95% UI 292,210 to 359,914) were in the Caribbean. Using GDP per capita, we calculated the annual cost of potential productivity losses for the Caribbean to be $1.2 billion. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: TBI has a significant impact on economic productivity in the Caribbean. With upwards of $1.2 billion lost in economic productivity from TBI, there is an urgent need for appropriate prevention and management of this disease by upscaling neurosurgical capacity. Neurosurgical and policy interventions are necessary to ensure the success of these patients in order to maximize economic productivity.