The Michigan Sports Concussion Study: Practices and Perceptions of Athletic Trainers and Coaches in High School Concussion Care

The effective management of sports-related concussions continues to gain societal attention as it has been historically ignored and often misunderstood, until recent years. Despite the increased public awareness of this international health concern, many problems persist regarding accuracy and consistency of sports concussion detection and treatment. This study sought to investigate the importance and complexity of sports concussion management by tracking current trends of athletic trainers and coaches who predominantly provide such care to high school athletes. Given the limited scope of available tools to analyze the complexities intrinsic to mild traumatic brain injury, this study sought to more broadly view traumatic brain injury through a multi-disciplinary spectrum, which encompassed principles of both neuroscience and sports medicine. A survey method was utilized to obtain current practices in concussion care for high school athletics. This investigation considered the education and experience of coaches and athletic trainers, and their use of institutionally derived measures and protocols for concussion management of Michigan high school athletes. The study findings suggested that education, clinical experience, and institutionalized assessment protocols were significant for the detection and confidence in concussion management care, with athletic trainers exhibiting a distinct advantage over coaches in most measures. A lone exception was noted for acquired education, for which there was no significant difference between the two professional groups.