1. Concussion Safety for Sports Officials
Dawn Johnson, MSN, RN
Sports official in soccer, football, and girls lacrosse

2. AUDIENCE: SPORTS OFFICIALS
OBJECTIVES:
Define concussion
State the percentage of concussions reported among high school athletes result from aggressive or illegal play
Describe 3 ways sports officials can keep athletes safe
List 3 signs of concussion observed by sports officials
List 3 symptoms of concussion reported by athletes

3. Concussion Defined
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that results from a jolt, bump, or blow to the head. It may result from a hit to the body that causes the brain to move quickly back and forth. This movement causes twisting and jarring of the brain leading to chemical changes in the brain and possible damage to brain cells (CDC, 2015).
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

4. Enforce the Rules for Fair & Safe Play
NOTE:
To change images on this slide, select a picture and delete it. Then click the Insert Picture icon
in the placeholder to insert your own image.
Enforce the Rules for Fair & Safe Play
25 percent of concussions reported among high school athletes result from illegal or aggressive play (Collins, Fields, & Comstock, 2008)
Penalize athletes for:
Striking, or checking another athlete in the head
Using their head to strike or helmet to hit another athlete
Trying to injure anther player
When there is no contact but a rule is in place to protect the athlete (no heading rule in youth soccer; cradling in the sphere in female lacrosse)
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

5. Make sure players have proper equipment
If a sport requires a helmet work with coaches and event administrator to make sure that all athletes wear a proper fitting helmet
Make sure sports facilities are safe and remove tripping hazards
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

6. Know the signs and symptoms of concussion
Signs-observed by sports officials, fans, or coaches
Symptoms reported by athletes
Use injury time outs to ensure the athlete is removed from play
Enforce the rule that an athlete can not return to play on the same day of the injury until cleared by an approved health care provider
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND
Barriers to Concussion recognition and treatment include:
Failure to report symptoms by athlete
Failure of an official to stop the game when he/she observes a hit to a player that may contribute to a concussion
A coach may inappropriately play a player with symptoms/signs of concussion even though they have not been evaluated by an approved health care provider
Lack of officials’ knowledge about concussion guidelines for state, league, or organization

7. Resources-Stay current with concussion information and training
CDC HEADS UP concussion training
HEADS UP for sports officials
UpToDate Concussion Information
REAP Program
National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) Concussion Training
CDC Concussion Video: Keeping Safe From Brain Injury
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

8. References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2015, May). A fact sheet for high school sports officials. Retrieved from Collins, C. L., Fields, S. K., & Comstrock, R. D. (2008). When the rules of the game are broken: What proportion of high school sports-related injuries are related to illegal activity. Injury Prevention, 14(1), Schutzman, S. (2017, October). Patient education head injury in children and adolescents (beyond the basics). UpToDate Retrieved from basics?source=search_result&search=concussion+children&selectedTitle=1~4