A Digital Health Intervention for Concussion: Development and Clinical Feasibility Study.

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Concussion management
• Behavioral science

Background:

• Concussion leads to persistent symptoms impacting quality of life and return to work.
• Evidence-based interventions exist but are not routinely delivered, leaving patients with limited support.
• A systematic approach is needed to develop effective digital health solutions for concussion recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and assess the feasibility of a digital health intervention for concussion recovery.
• To utilize an evidence-, theory-, and person-based approach for intervention design.
• To improve postconcussion symptom burden and facilitate positive behavior change.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods study including scoping review, behavioral analysis, and logic modeling.
• Intervention co-design with individuals with concussion history and healthcare professionals.
• Feasibility testing in emergency department patients with concussion, measuring engagement, symptom burden, and attitudes.

Main Results:

• High engagement with symptom diary (90%) and other features, though engagement waned over time.
• Quantitative and qualitative feedback indicated high usability and positive user perception.
• Symptom diary data showed varied individual burden but an overall decline, correlating with recovery scores.

Conclusions:

• A systematic approach successfully developed a digital health intervention to support positive behavior change in concussion recovery.
• The intervention provides valuable insights into postconcussion symptom burden and recovery trajectories through user-inputted data.