Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
Objectively Assessing Sports Concussion Utilizing Visual Evoked Potentials
Published on: April 27, 2021
Use of a rapid visual screening tool for the assessment of concussion in amateur rugby league: a pilot study
Doug King1, Trevor Clark, Conor Gissane
1Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand, School of Sport and Recreation, Faculty of Health and Environmental Science, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. dking@aut.ac.nz
Aim:
This study undertook to use the K-D sideline test with the SCAT2 to see if concussions could be identified in amateur rugby league players over a representative competition period.
Method:
A prospective cohort study was conducted on two teams participating in an amateur rugby league. All players were tested for signs of concussion utilising the K-D test and players with longer times than their baseline scores undertook a further concussion assessment with the SCAT2.
Results:
Five athletes with suspected concussion were evaluated by K-D testing. Three concussions were associated with witnessed events during the matches and two athletes were identified by the team medic as having longer K-D time scores incidentally post-match compared to baseline. Post-match K-D scores for all concussed athletes were worse than baseline for those with reported or witnessed concussion events (7s; 5.0-7.1; p=0.025) and for those identified incidentally (>5s; 8.9-9.1s). Both groups also reported more symptoms on the PCSS (a part of the SCAT2) post-match.
Discussion:
In this rugby cohort, the K-D test was not only useful in identifying changes in players with witnessed head trauma, but in identifying changes in players with an un-witnessed suspected concussion.
