Developing and Piloting a School-Based Online Adolescent Student-Athlete Concussion Surveillance System

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sports Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Concussion awareness has increased, yet epidemiologic surveillance, particularly in adolescents, remains limited.
• This study addressed the scarcity of concussion data by developing a tool specifically for secondary school settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot an online surveillance tool for tracking concussions in interscholastic, intramural sports, and physical education among adolescents.
• To assess the viability and value of school-based online concussion surveillance.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous online surveillance tool was implemented in public secondary schools and career-technical-vocational education districts in New Jersey (2014-2017).
• Data were collected via online forms completed within 5 days by school nurses and certified athletic trainers (ATCs).

Main Results:

• A total of 208 concussions were reported across the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years.
• The majority of online forms were completed in under 10 minutes using various devices, with school nurses and ATCs being the primary data providers.

Conclusions:

• The cooperation of school nurses and ATCs indicated that the online surveillance system was both valued and feasible.
• The collected data are crucial for informing future concussion prevention strategies and continuous injury surveillance efforts.