APC: A collaborative approach to reduce time between concussion symptom onset and treatment

Abstract The goal of the proposed research is to translate empirical evidence into a behavioral intervention targeting AthletesParentsand CoachesAPCto decrease the time between concussion injuryonset of symptomsand medical treatment among youth sport athletesNearlymillion sport related concussionsSRCare reported annually in the USand this number has been steadily increasingin part due to greater awareness about the nature of the injuryAlthough concussions do occur outside of sportathletes competing in contact or collision sports are at greater risk for multiple head injuriesThese injuries can result in significant short term deficitsincluding diminished neurocognitive functione gattentionlearning and memorycomplex problem solvingprocessing speed efficiencyand reaction timepostural control and self reported symptomsConsistentlyfindings indicate rates of depression and diminished quality of life are likely to occur in weeks to months postconcussionThe post injury recovery period is a particularly vulnerable time as sustaining additional head trauma has been linked to a myriad of serious long term neurological deficitsThereforeimmediate removal from play of an athlete who has sustained a potentially concussive impact is a critical strategy for risk reductionAlarminglyrecent studies suggest that among high school student athletesmore thanof potential SRCs go unreportedAs suchthe specific aims of this Phase I SBIR project are toWork with the Expert Advisory Panel to create detailed outlines for twelve digital media messagesfour each for athletesparents and coachesReview messages with focus groups consisting of nursesathletesagesparents of athletesand coaches to ensure messages are clearly framed and provide intended motivationDevelop two fully functional digital media messages for athletesparentand coachestotalandAssess the feasibility of the prototype in terms of its usabilityrelevancepotential for engagement and appeal to potential usersThe objective of each fully completed digital media message is to target known individual and environmental risk and protective factors related to concussion reporting by athletesA phase II proposal will be dedicated to refinement of each digital media messagethe development of additional messages based on data collected during Phase Iand a multi site randomized control trial to evaluate APC Project NarrativeThis project will significantly and positively contribute to a body of research aimed at decreasing the time between injuryonset of symptomsand medical treatment of concussion of youth sport athletesCognitions and socio cultural and environmental factors associated with SRC symptom reporting among youth athletes will be confirmed and a detailed outline of digital media messages for athletesparentsand coaches will be developedTwo fully functional digital medial messages will be developed for athletesparentsand coachesafter which a feasibility study to test the technical merit of the developed messages will be completed