Management of sport-related concussion in emergency departments in England: a multi-center study

To establish the current knowledge of sport-related concussion (SRC) management of clinicians in emergency departments in the North West of England.

A cross-sectional, multi-center study design was used and included emergency department clinicians (EDCs) across 15 centers in the North West of England. A 22-question survey was issued with questions focused on the 5th International Conference on Concussion Consensus Statement. Absolute and percentages were presented, and comparisons in knowledge of guidelines and confidence between EDCs were made using the Kruskal-Wallis test.

Of an estimated 300 EDCs, 111 (37%) responded. Thirty (27%) were aware of the guidelines, whilst 63 (57%) had heard of a graduated return-to-sport protocol. Physical rest was advised by 106 (95%) respondents, with 68 (61%) advising cognitive rest and 47 (42%) providing written advice. There was no difference (p > .05) in awareness of SRC guidelines or confidence between clinician grade, with most receiving no SRC training.

There is a lack of knowledge amongst EDCs in the North West of England in managing and providing discharge advice to patients with SRC. This is likely due to the limited awareness of guidelines and training, and therefore further education delivery on SRC management guidelines is required.