BokSmart – implementing a National Rugby Safety Programme

Viljoen, Wayne; Patricios, Jon

doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091278

Cited by 81 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…[1][2][3][4] An incidence of 7.97 concussions per 1 000 player game hours has been reported for nonprofessional Australian rugby players. [1] Concussions accounted for 9.7% of the injuries reported for elite southern hemisphere rugby union players across one season, while constituting 4.8% of injuries reported across the same season of English Premiership Rugby.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Concussion knowledge and return-to-play attitudes among subelite rugby union players

Walker¹

2016

S Afr J SM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background. Concussion is a significant health issue in rugby union. However, little is known about players' levels of concussion knowledge or return-to-play (RTP) attitudes. Objectives. To determine the concussion knowledge and concussion-related RTP attitudes of subelite rugby union players in South Africa. Methods. Subelite rugby union players (n=127; mean age 24.1 years) completed a measure of concussion knowledge and a concussionrelated RTP attitude scale. Frequencies were calculated with regard to concussion knowledge and RTP attitudes for the total sample, as well as separately for previously concussed and non-concussed participants. Pearson's χ 2 tests and t-tests for independent groups were employed to determine significant differences in concussion knowledge and RTP attitudes between previously concussed and nonconcussed participants. Results. Participants displayed varying, yet generally less than optimal levels of concussion knowledge. Knowledge of concussion-related RTP protocols (20 -23%) and the efficacy of safety equipment (20 -25%) was particularly poor. The subelite rugby players included in the sample did not hold notably conservative RTP attitudes, with the majority expressing a willingness to participate in practice (74%) and competition (47 -56%) without having fully recovered from a concussion. No significant differences were apparent with regard to the RTP attitudes and concussion knowledge of the previously concussed and non-concussed players. Conclusion. The general level of concussion knowledge among subelite rugby union players appears less than optimal. Moreover, the majority of these players expressed an intention to RTP before they had fully recovered from concussion.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Concussion knowledge and return-to-play attitudes among subelite rugby union players

Walker¹

2016

S Afr J SM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[4,5,17] The BokSmart compulsory biennial rugby safety course for coaches and referees is an example of an intervention that aims to educate coaches and referees on all aspects of concussion, including identification. [14] Additionally, the BokSmart website (www.boksmart.com) provides freely available educational information, as well as useful tools for identifying those players suspected of being concussed. World Rugby has similar resources: http://playerwelfare.worldrugby.org/concussion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[13] Pre-empting concussion for improved on-field identification In South Africa, the compulsory BokSmart biennial rugby safety course provides concussion education, as well as pocket Concussion Guides for all attending coaches and referees. [14] For all other stakeholders, the BokSmart (www.boksmart.com) and World Rugby (www.worldrugby.org) websites provide additional education and general concussion information. Another particularly useful resource is World Rugby's "Pocket Concussion Recognition Tool" available on the BokSmart website (http://images.supersport.com/ Pocket%20CRT.pdf).…”

Section: Leaving No Concussion Unreportedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[14] The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Position Statement: Concussion in Sport [14] states that history, balance testing and cognitive function should all be assessed, while the Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport [8] suggests that testing of the latter (cognitive function) is most important. With any clinical test, it is important to consider the sensitivity (correctly diagnosing those that have the condition) and specificity (correctly excluding those who do NOT have the condition).…”

Section: Sideline Concussion Assessment Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

On-field identification and management of concussion in amateur rugby union

Brown

2017

SA J. Sports Med.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Rugby is a popular team sport and due to its contact nature carries a relatively high potential for injury, including concussion. Moreover, it is estimated that as much as 50% of concussions are not reported due to a variety of reasons, including not considering the injury to be sufficiently serious or not wanting to miss game time. Objectives: The aim of this brief review was to investigate and summarise current best practice for on-field identification and on-field management of concussion in amateur rugby. Methods: PubMed and ClinicalKey were searched between September and December 2014 for articles in the five years preceding the search dates. The latest versions of the Consensus Statement for Concussion in Sports and World Rugby's concussion guidelines were also consulted. Results: Based on this search strategy, eight systematic reviews, one physician information article and four patient guidelines were investigated. Four reviews specifically described an "action plan" for on-field evaluation and management. Education of key stakeholders could reduce the number of unreported concussions. Once identified or suspected, concussions should be managed according to best practice procedures, which include removing the player from play immediately and consulting a medical doctor. If a medical doctor is not immediately available on the field tools such as the BokSmart on-field pocket "Concussion Guide", and World Rugby's "Pocket Concussion Recognition Tool", are freely available online. Conclusion: Stakeholder education (including players, parents, teachers, coaches, referees, spouses) on both the on-field identification and management of concussions could reduce under-reporting and improve the overall management of concussed rugby players.

show abstract

“…is type of discussion always prompts an examination of the facts. Closer to home, the BokSmart National Rugby Safety and injury prevention Programme [2] was forced to examine its fundamental principles and operating procedures. e BokSmart programme has an extensive body of information published on their website (www.…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%