| Although the medical community has been unable to come to an absolute conclusion about how best to manage sports concussions, it is generally agreed that brain injuries are a serious problem facing athletes. The project implemented a needs assessment involving an overview of local sports programs, interview with key informants, and the implementation of a concussion survey within a large metropolitan area to address the concern of proper sports concussion management. One goal of the needs assessment was to determine if any discrepancy was due to a skill deficiency. A further determination was made as to whether the population actually knows how to perform the task of proper concussion management. The questions broadly surveyed addressed the following: What is being done now versus what needs to be done regarding concussion management? Is there a difference in the knowledge of concussion care and management concerns among the various categories of sports participants? Is there openness to preseason cognitive testing? The purpose of designing and conducting this needs assessment was to consider the benefit of an intervention, rather than implementing unneeded changes. Important discrepancies between perceived and actual knowledge among athletes and those responsible for their healthcare were identified and discussed. The anticipated economic costs and benefits of any projected solutions were included. A validated, reliable, neuropsychological testing procedure was also reviewed. An ultimate goal was to promote traumatic brain injury awareness in general. |
