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Clarion Athletic Training - Concussion Management Plan

Clarion Sports Medicine - Concussion Management Plan
  1. Clarion Sports Medicine (CSM) will require student-athletes to sign a statement in which student-athletes accept the responsibility for reporting their injuries and illnesses to the sports medicine staff, including signs and symptoms of concussions.  During the review and signing process student-athletes will watch a NCAA video on concussions and be provided with educational material on concussions.
  2. CSM will have on file and annually update an emergency action plan for Clarion venues to respond to student-athlete catastrophic injuries and illnesses, including but not limited to concussions, heat illness, spine injury, cardiac arrest, respiratory distress (e.g. asthma), and sickle cell trait collapses. All athletics healthcare providers and coaches shall review, sign and practice the plan annually. The presentation, education and signing of the EAP will be conducted prior to the start of the sport season.  The CSM department will maintain a list of staff that has completed the requirement on file.
  3. CSM staff members shall be empowered to determine management and return-to-play of any ill or injured student-athlete, as he or she deems appropriate. Conflicts or concerns will be forwarded to director of sports medicine and/or team physician for remediation.
  4. Clarion coaches will receive a copy of the concussion management plan, a fact sheet on concussions in sport, and view a video on concussions annually.
  5. CSM shall have on file a written team physician–directed concussion management plan that specifically outlines the roles of athletics healthcare staff (e.g., physician, certified athletic trainer, nurse practitioner, etc.).
  6. CSM staff members and other athletics healthcare providers will practice within the standards as established for their professional practice (e.g., team physician, certified athletic trainer, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, neurologist, and neuropsychologist).
  7. CSM shall record a baseline assessment for each student-athlete. The baseline assessment should consist of the use of: 1) symptoms checklist and scale, 2) neuropsychological testing (computerized ImPACT Test) and balance testing. Neuropsychological testing has been shown to be effective in the evaluation and management of concussion. The neuropsychological testing program should be performed in consultation with a physician trained in evaluation of neuropsychological testing (ImPACT Testing). Post injury neuropsychological test data will be interpreted by a neuropsychologist or a physician trained in evaluation of neuropsychological testing (ImPACT Testing) prior to return to play. Neuropsychological testing has proven to be an effective tool in assessing neurocognitive changes following concussion and can serve as an important component of an institution’s concussion management plan. However, neuropsychological tests should not be used as the sole measure to diagnose the presence or absence of a concussion as CSM uses a comprehensive clinical assessment by its sports medicine staff.
  8. When a student-athlete shows any signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion, the athlete will be removed from practice or competition, by either a member of the coaching staff or sports medicine staff.  If removed by a coaching staff member, the coach will refer the student-athlete for evaluation by a member of the sports medicine staff.  During competitions, on the field of play injuries will be under the purview of the official and playing rules of the sport. CSM staff will follow such rules and attend to medical situations as they arise. Visiting sport team members evaluated by CSM staff will be managed in the same manner as CSM student-athletes.
  9. A student-athlete diagnosed with a concussion will be withheld from the competition or practice and not return to activity for the remainder of that calendar day. Student-athletes that sustain a concussion outside of their sport will be managed in the same manner as those sustained during sport activity.
  10. The student-athlete will receive serial monitoring for deterioration.  Athletes will be provided with written home instructions upon discharge; preferably with a roommate, guardian, or someone that can follow the instructions
  11. The student-athlete will be monitored for recurrence of symptoms both from physical exertion and also mental exertion, such as reading, phone texting, computer games, watching film, athletic meetings, working on a computer, classroom work, or taking a test.
  12. The student-athlete will be evaluated by a team physician staff as outlined within the concussion management plan.  Once asymptomatic and post-exertion assessments are within normal baseline limits, return to play shall follow a medically supervised stepwise process.
  13. Final authority for Return-to-Play shall reside with the team physician or the physician’s designee.
  14. CSM will document the incident, evaluation, continued management, and clearance of the student-athlete with a concussion.
  15. Athletics staff, student-athletes and officials will continue to emphasize that purposeful or flagrant head or neck contact in any sport should not be permitted.