Concussion sideline management intervention for rugby union leads to reduced concussion claims

The effectiveness of a concussion management education programme (CMEP) in rugby in reducing the number and cost of concussion/brain injury (CBI) moderate to serious claims (MSC) was assessed. A RugbySmart educational video and a sideline concussion check (SCC) tool comprised the CMEP. Over 30,000 SCC, providing information on management of suspected concussion among community level rugby players prior to seeking medical treatment, were distributed from July 2003 to June 2005. Each year approximately 10,000 coaches and 2,000 referees participated in RugbySmart. From 2003 to 2005 new rugby CBI MSC reduced by 10.7% (actual) and 58.2% (forecast). Rugby player numbers, new non-sport CBI MSC and new sport MSC all increased by 13.6%, 16.9% and 24.6% respectively in the same period. The median number of days between CBI injury and the player seeking medical treatment decreased from six days to four days. Cost savings after CMEP were 690 USD dollars, 690 (actual) to 3,354,780 USD dollars (forecast). The two-year cost of CMEP was 54,810 USD dollars returning 12.60 USD dollars (actual) and 61.21 USD dollars (forecast) for every 1 USD dollar invested (ROI). CMEP provided community coaches and managers with education on minimum best practice for managing suspected concussion, contributed towards ROI and savings for CBI MSC in rugby.