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The GamePlan: Sideline Assessment for Suspected Concussion is free to watch and share for educational use. It has been viewed more than 31,000 times and integrated into medical and athletic training programs worldwide.
This is one of three films in The GamePlan Series. View the full series.
If used in presentations or added to webpages, please credit: The Sports Institute at UW Medicine. If shared on social media, tag us @TheSportsInstituteUW on Facebook or use our full name on LinkedIn.
Motivation
Concussions are among the most common injuries in sport and can be challenging to identify. Unlike visible injuries, concussions can affect the brain in ways that are not always immediately apparent. Athletes who continue playing or play soon after a concussion risk more serious or longer-lasting brain injury (called second impact syndrome) which is why it’s important to “when in doubt, sit them out.”
Healthcare professionals, coaches, and athletic trainers on the sidelines need a clear, standardized process for assessing athletes with suspected concussions.
Approach
The Sports Institute developed this training film to demonstrate best practices for sideline concussion evaluation. The film walks through the full assessment process: from pre-game medical timeouts and emergency action planning, to on-field primary assessment, to comprehensive sideline evaluation using the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT6), the most widely researched standardized tool available at no cost based on the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam.
The film emphasizes that if in doubt, sit them out. Athletes with suspected concussion should remain under observation and receive follow-up care from a licensed healthcare provider before returning to play.
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Partners
National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), OL Reign and OL Reign Academy, Seattle Children’s Hospital, UW Medicine.
Special thanks to Jessica Fishlock, OL Reign midfielder, and all the medical professionals, athletic trainers, and athletes who participated in this film.
Disclaimer
The purpose of this film is to provide recommendations for sideline assessment of suspected concussion by medical personnel. This film is intended only as a guide to all members of the sports medicine community, and, as such, is of a general nature, consistent with the reasonable, objective practice of the health care professional. It is not intended to be used as a standard of care. Ultimately, clinical decisions remain at the discretion of the responsible medical professionals and are dependent on the specific injury scenario and availability of qualified personnel and resources at the time of injury.
Copyright
Copyright © 2022 The Sports Institute at UW Medicine and University of Washington. All rights reserved.
License
This film is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Free to share for non-commercial educational purposes with credit to The Sports Institute at UW Medicine. No modifications or commercial use permitted. View license.