Dr. Shelina Babul
Concussion is an invisible epidemic and to date, there is no definitive test for diagnosis. At the onset, concussion requires both physical and mental rest. Eighty-five percent of concussions resolve with no long-term consequences, but at times others may have persistent symptoms lasting longer than the normal course of recovery. Furthermore, subsequent concussions may take an increasingly longer time to recover. Short– and long-term effects from concussion vary among individuals and can greatly affect quality of life. Longterm effects are often not recognized early enough to prevent post-concussion syndrome and permanent brain damage. The long-term effects on concussion can have an impact on social and professional lives. Extreme cases may result in depression and suicide.
Concussion prevention and management is the responsibility of professional coaches, volunteer coaches, parents, players, health care practitioners and educators. The Online Concussion Awareness Training Toolkit (CATT) has been developed to standardize practice regarding concussion recognition, diagnosis, treatment and management. Based upon established international principles, this online toolkit includes learner-directed training; tools; links to resources, information handouts, peer-reviewed journal articles, related websites, concussion videos and study cases; and the Zurich Consensus Statement. Return-to-Activity (including Return-to-Learn and Return-to-Play) guidelines are essential to supporting recovery from concussion. CATT is available online with free access at: www.cattonline.com.
• CATT for Health Practitioners was developed to standardize practice regarding concussion recognition, diagnosis, treatment and management. The evaluation demonstrated that health practitioner self-reported practices were statistically significantly improved following the online implementation of CATT. As of November 26th, 2013, CATT has received 8050 views from around the world.
• CATT for Parents, Players and Coaches is currently in development and will be available early in 2014.
•CATT for Educators is currently being planned and will be available for the fall of 2014.
However, developing and evaluating these resources does not represent the ONLY answer. Resources must be accessed by relevant participants. Professional coaches are increasingly being required to take concussion training. What about the volunteer coaches? What about the parents who register their children in organized sports? And what about players, children and youth themselves? Everyone should know about the risk of concussion and what to do should they suspect having a concussion.
Good concussion prevention, recognition and management will reduce related health problems and may decrease the risk of long-term brain damage. The CATT collection of online resources is being rolled out provincially in British Columbia.
We are responsible for understanding concussion as well as protecting our youth from the potential adverse consequences of concussion.
Dr. Shelina Babul is the Associate Director and Sports Injury Specialist with the BC Injury Research and Prevent Unit. Her primary focus is sport and recreational evidence-based research development, with a particular specialization in concussions and their recognition, treatment, management as well as prevention. She is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, UBC, an Investigator in the Child & Family Research Institute, Chair of the BC Concussion Advisory Network (BC CAN) and co-chair of the BC Sport and Recreation Injury Prevention Advisory Committee.