Craniocerebral injuries or neurotraumas are injuries to the skull and brain that cause temporary or permanent damage to brain function. Traffic accidents are considered the leading cause of craniocerebral brain injuries along with falls, sports injuries and gunshot injuries. They are among the leading causes of death, more often in the younger population.

Craniocerebral injuries are divided into open and closed. Concussion, brain contusion, intracranial bleeding (epidural, subdural and intracerebral) are classified as closed craniocerebral injuries in which there is no break in the continuity of the skin, while in open injuries there is damage and break in the continuity of the skin, and they can affect the soft parts of the head, bones of the skull, meninges and brain mass.

Early diagnosis, selection of appropriate treatment, and easier and shorter recovery have been greatly facilitated thanks to the development of diagnostic procedures. The aim of the care of the neurosurgical patient is to provide quality health care that is aimed at alleviating, solving problems and making recovery as easy as possible and returning to everyday life as a productive and independent individual as quickly as possible.

The nurse/technician plans and implements patient health care. It requires an individual approach, a good relationship between the health team, the patient and the family, as well as trust, observation and empathy. Good education about craniocerebral conditions is an important factor because the nurse/technician is the person who spends the most time with the patient and is the first to notice any change, and further informs the health care team.

The health care of patients with closed craniocerebral injuries is extremely complex, because most such patients come with other serious injuries and require highly specialized knowledge and skills of nurses/technicians. Care of the patient begins immediately after the patient enters the hospital, where the nurse/technician performs physical preparation, monitors vital functions and observes the state of consciousness. In addition to all physical preparation, mental preparation is also important, in which the nurse/technician must be patient, confident in what they are doing and have a positive attitude.