3.24 Exploring digital sports related concussion (SRC) assessment, performed by a single clinician

Citation

Powell D, Stuart S & Godfrey A (2024) 3.24 Exploring digital sports related concussion (SRC) assessment, performed by a single clinician. 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58 (Supplement 1). https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/58/Suppl_1/A91.3; https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-concussion.240

Abstract
Objective SRC diagnosis utilises clinical judgement [1–3], and is often supported by the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT5). The use of pragmatic accessible/scalable digital tools may improve diagnosis and understanding of interconnected relationships in SRC deficits [4–7]. Our aim was to explore comparison of SCAT5 outcomes to digital tools used by a single clinician to assess 50 university athletes. Design Observational Setting University in Northeast of England Participants 30 with SRC history (21.7 ±5.9yrs) and 20 without (21.7 ±2.6yrs) underwent a multimodal digital assessment. Inclusion criteria: >18yrs, minimal cognitive impairment (0 and 8 on short, blessed test), no previous neurological injury or eye movement deficit. Outcome measures; (SCAT5). Physiological (finger pulse oximeter), resting heart rate (beats/minute), oxygen saturation (%SO2). Symptom, Becks Depression Score, Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory. Cognitive; (BrainGauge Pro, Corticalmetrics, USA); reaction time (milliseconds). Visual; Visual Oculomotor score (VOMS). Motor 3m tandem (seconds) and 2-minute walk (total distance). Main Results There were no significant differences between groups (P>0.05) for SCAT5, physiological, symptom, VOMS or 2-min walk. In contrast there were significant differences for reaction time (236.1ms ± 40.1 and 253.0ms ± 39.6) and 3m tandem walk (13.4s ± 4.4 and 15.9s ± 4.0). Conclusions Accessible digital tools are useful to distinguish those who have a history of SRC and those without. A single clinician could readily deploy all digital tools and integrate into routine practice i.e., in addition to SCAT5. Future research should investigate use of inertial wearables to digitise physical tasks under direct assessment and beyond within remote environments [5].

Journal
British Journal of Sports Medicine: Volume 58, Issue Supplement 1

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Dr Dylan Powell

Lecturer in Public Health & Innovation, Health Sciences Stirling