New Zealand's health system is leaving thousands of concussion patients behind.
New research has found "big gaps" in the system with one-quarter of concussion patients being forced to wait over two months for treatment.
Brain injury researcher Renata Bastos Gottgtroy said ACC processing times are causing delays in referrals, which can significantly contribute to how quickly a patient can recover.
Gottgtroy was an NZ National ice hockey player who moved to Canada to pursue her hockey career but after a serious concussion, she turned her focus to research.
Hoping for a better understanding and management of traumatic brain injuries, the Auckland University of Technology affiliate is researching how to improve early detection of concussions.
Analysing over 55,000 concussion patients from ACC data, she found that one in 10 took longer than six months to recover and one in four people were forced to wait over two months to see an expert due to processing delays.
Gottgtroy said the majority of patients receive good care but there are thousands who are left behind.
"For a concussion patient, the quicker they get to specialist care we actually have evidence that shows the quicker they will cover. So it is really important," Gottgtroy told Ryan Bridge on AM.
Many people don't realise they have a concussion, with the analysis finding 12 percent of patients were not seen for over a week after their injury.
"Often people actually think that you need to lose consciousness but that's not the case," Gottgtroy said.
A concussion happens when your brain hits the skull which can happen from any impact to your body.
Gottgtroy said with any impact someone suspects could cause a concussion it is important to seek care and get assessed.
Since starting her research, she said things have been going in the right direction.
ACC has removed the referral processing step for concussion clinics, meaning the decision for patients to access specialised treatment is based on the providers.
Gottgtroy said they are working with emergency services and GPs, who in 92 percent of cases, are the first to see a concussion patient, to improve access to care and reduce ongoing delays.
