Protocol for Development of an Evidence-Based Rapid Readiness Screen

In combat and sport, there is an urgent need to identify readiness for performance to decide on removal from and return to activity. Cognitive readiness, including attention, can be impaired for many potentially coexisting reasons, including concussive or subconcussive injury, insufficient sleep/fatigue, and intoxication. Standard tests of concussion, sleep deprivation, and intoxication are often lengthy or require specialized skill or equipment to conduct. The ideal readiness screen should predict readiness or be associated with surrogate measures of readiness, be sensitive to multiple conditions that may impair readiness, and be reliable and rapid. This study outlines the methodology for an evidence-based process to develop multimodal rapid screening tests for readiness that are applicable across a broad range of environments, including military far-forward/sports sideline, garrison, and clinic.