(Ottawa, Ontario – September 7, 2016) – Today, the Canadian Concussion Collaborative (CCC) released a tool to help sport organizations and schools implement concussion prevention and management strategies.
The new guide entitled “A roadmap for developing and implementing concussion management policies and protocols in sport,” takes organizations through all the key questions that will help them adapt the principles of good concussion prevention and management to the reality of their sport, environment and resources.
With this Roadmap the 13 leading health and prevention organizations that comprise the CCC want to build on the recommendations that were previously outlined in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, calling on all sport organizations and event organizers to implement a concussion prevention and management protocol.
The Roadmap is structured around the key objectives of a concussion prevention and management protocol:
- To minimize the incidence of concussions (prevention).
- To optimize the early identification of possible concussions by everyone involved including athletes, coaches, teachers, parents and healthcare professionals.
- To optimize the management of concussed athletes in the sport, academic, family, work and personal spheres of their lives based on current best practices and contextually available resources.
- To access expertise (or qualified experts) to guide the gradual return to normal physical work and academic activities and minimize the chances of persistent, recurrent or chronic consequences of concussions.
- To implement a periodic process for protocol review and a communication strategy that will keep all stakeholders involved and informed about the protocol.
“Even if the best experts on concussion are available in medical clinics, hospitals and emergency services, concussions cannot be properly managed if they are not recognized in the first place, when they occur, on the field of play,” said Dr. Pierre Frémont, Chair of the CCC and Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval. “Sport and school organizations are in the best position to define how key steps of concussion management, such as gradually returning to school activities and subsequently returning to physical activity, can be coordinated and monitored.”
The implementation of concussion management protocols in sport and school environments can contribute to the early identification and the immediate initiation of effective management to avoid aggravation and help limit potential long-term consequences. Most concussions, especially when identified early and managed properly, will resolve within seven to 10 days.
Doctors have an important role to play for the formal diagnosis, counseling about concussions, and decisions regarding return to play, but sport organizations and schools, athletes, parents, teachers, coaches and sport officials can help create an environment that is fully aware of concussion. The Roadmap will guide organizations in their commitment to implement a concussion management protocol.
To complement the Roadmap, the CCC has also developed, and will maintain, a webpage of evidence-based, practical, and up-to-date concussion resources that contains a broad range of tools and documentation where organizations can select those which are most relevant to their own reality.
For more information and to book interviews, please contact:
Ms. Dawn Haworth, 613-748-5851 x1
About the Canadian Concussion Collaborative
The mission of the CCC is to create synergy between organizations concerned with concussions to improve education about concussions and the implementation of best practices for the prevention and management of concussions.
The organizations that are members of the CCC are:
- Canadian Academy of Sport and, Exercise Medicine (CASEM)
- Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP)
- Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA)
- Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES)
- Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA)
- Canadian Medical Association (CMA)
- Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS)
- Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA)
- Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
- College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)
- Ontario Medical Association Sport Medicine Section (OMA)
- National Emergency Nurses Association (NENA)
- Parachute (includes the former ThinkFirst)
- Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences (Canada) (RCCSS(C))
Resources:
- Recommendations for policy development regarding sport-related concussion prevention and management in Canada: Link to BJSM (accessed September 2016)
- The CCC webpage (accessed September 2016)
- The CCC concussion resources webpage (accessed September 2016)
About the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport
The CCES is an independent, national, not-for-profit organization with a responsibility to administer the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. We recognize that true sport can make a great difference for individuals, communities and our country. We are committed to working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone.