Concussion Education in the School Setting: A Scoping Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Concussions are a prevalent injury among youth, and concussion education has the potential to promote positive concussion-related behaviors. Recent recommendations and legislation have increased concussion education provided in schools; however, little is known about the education context, delivery method, development, and evaluation. A scoping review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed literature on concussion education delivered in the school setting.METHODS: Six databases were searched (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, and ERIC) to identify published articles from 2002 to July 16, 2020 that delivered concussion education in the school setting. Included studies described the concussion education and were written in English. RESULTS:A total of 11,373 articles were identified and screened, with 27 studies meeting eligibility criteria and therefore, included. The studies delivered education to various stakeholders including students (n = 12; 44.4%), coaches (n = 5; 18.5%), educators (n = 3; 11.1%), parents (n = 1; 3.7%), and a mixed audience (n = 6; 22.2%). The education format varied and six studies (22.2%) developed the education based on a theory, model, or framework. CONCLUSIONS:This study found substantial variability in the context, delivery method, development, and evaluation of education delivered in schools and further evaluation of this education is needed to ensure it is best-suited for school-based stakeholders.

Designing, implementing and evaluating a framework for managing concussions in New Zealand secondary schools: A study protocol

“…Based on the Canadian (Damji & Babul, 2018;Macartney et al, 2019;Matveev et al, 2018) and USA (Glang et al, 2015) experiences, adoption of FRANCS in Aotearoa New Zealand schools is likely to improve teacher and school awareness of concussions, in-class management, and provision of individualspecific academic accommodations (Mallory et al, 2022). FRANCS will provide clarity around recommended return-tolearn protocols, reassurance for parents and the student, and a flexible template to support stakeholder roles and responsibilities in the management of concussions.…”

“…A further critical feature of FRANCS is that it will apply to all students who have sustained a concussion, whether that was incurred during sports or non-sporting activities (Mallory et al, 2022). That is particularly relevant for the Aotearoa New Zealand context as less than 50% of concussion claims of the age group ≤ 19 years submitted to and accepted by ACC were sports-related (Accident Compensation Corporation, 2022).…”

Returning to school following concussion

“…Accommodations must focus on supporting participation without exacerbating symptoms (rather than avoidance until the child or adolescent is symptom-free) and consider pre-existing or current educational circumstances. 17,18 Adjust accommodations as needed to match abilities and challenges. Examples of accommodations include the following: • Allow for gradual exposure to various activities within the classroom and school setting, including screen time; complete avoidance of screen use, lights, smart boards, assemblies, music, and safe physical activity is not recommended in the long-term.…”

Adapting TeachABI to the local needs of Australian educators – a critical step for successful implementation

“…Poor understanding of ABI within the education system is a public health issue, with a global call for action emphasising the need for reform (McKinlay et al 2016;Menon and Bryant 2019). Despite the prevalence and recognised impact an ABI can have on educational outcomes, there are no universally available service provisions or training resources readily accessible to educators and whilst statewide rehabilitation services have developed educational resources, these are fragmented and unstandardised across sites (McKinlay et al 2016;Buck and McKinlay 2021;Mallory et al 2022). Current Guidelines for Service Provision for Children with ABI (International Paediatric Brain Injury Society (IPBIS) Recommendations) identify education as a primary target for improvement (McKinlay et al 2016).…”