Concussion Management

The following is set up as a tool for you to use to assist with your clinical decision making around the following:

  1. Concussion Diagnosis
  2. Return to Play Medical Clearance
* Note: Medical clearance indicates that you as a medical expert are confident that a patient has recovered from their concussion and can safely return to their sport (i.e. contact training)

The key steps for a concussion diagnosis should include:

  1. A medical assessment encompassing:
    • Comprehensive history
    • Symptom assessment
    • Neurological examination including mental status, cognitive functioning, coordination, vision
    • Comparison to baseline values
  2. Determine whether the clinical status of the patient has improved or deteriorated since the time of injury.
  3. Assessing the need for emergent neuroimaging to exclude structural brain injury.

Following your medical assessment the patient must meet the following criteria:

  1. Be asymptomatic
  2. Completed the graduated return to play
  3. Fully returned to school or work
  4. Returned to baseline SCAT5 levels

To help with this process we have put together an online version of the modified SCAT5 which can be completed in 5 min. Please select from the following options:

①

Compare the player post-injury assessment to their pre-season baseline scores

To use this option the player must have brought an access code with them.


②

Complete an online SCAT for those not involved in the study

The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) is a validated tool to assess sport concussion. Please note - using the SCAT can take up to 15 minutes.



③

Complete a clinical assessment without the SCAT