Abstract
BackgroundUniversities are increasingly implementing programs to effectively respond to and manage sport-related concussions (SRCs). One such effort is to develop common data elements (CDEs) and standardize data collection methods. The objectives of this study were to describe CDEs currently collected by Big Ten and Ivy League universities for SRC studies, and to compare the data collected with the core CDEs recommended by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).MethodsWe conducted an anonymous cross-sectional online survey among medical staff at the 14 Big Ten and 8 Ivy League universities (one per university) between September and October 2015. The survey instrument, including 9 questions corresponding to the concussion data collected before, during, and after a concussion, was developed and pilot-tested before field use. We analyzed patterns of the concussion CDEs being collected, including when, what, and how the data were collected and stored, and compared them with the NINDS' recommended core CDEs.ResultsA total of 19 out of 22 universities were included, with 13 from Big Ten and 6 from Ivy-League universities. All 19 participating universities currently collected concussion data with athletes before, during, and after a concussion. Great similarities in data collection were observed at baseline and acutely post-concussion across participating universities. All 19 universities collected at least one of the ten recommended acute symptoms checklists, and 18 universities collected one of the four recommended core neuropsychological function cognitive measures. However, CDEs in the sub-acute and chronic timeframes were limited, with only 9 (47%) universities collecting post-concussion short to long term outcome data. While over 60% of universities collected and stored concussion data electronically, only 17% to 42% of data collected were readily available for research.ConclusionsSignificant inter-institutional similarities in acute concussion CDEs were found. Further efforts should focus on collecting sub-acute and chronic timeframe core CDEs and creating data access protocols to facilitate evidence-based concussion prevention and treatment for all collegiate athletes.
Highlights
Universities are increasingly implementing programs to effectively respond to and manage sportrelated concussions (SRCs)
We described the characteristics of the Common data element (CDE) being collected and stored, and compared the data collected with the recommended core CDEs
This study identified concussion CDEs currently collected among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes at 19 universities in the Big Ten and Ivy League conferences and compared those with the Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) recommended core CDEs
Summary
Universities are increasingly implementing programs to effectively respond to and manage sportrelated concussions (SRCs). Records of concussionrelated information, including baseline, injury, postconcussion assessments and medical care, and academic accommodations may be spread across files kept by athletic departments, university student health systems, and other individual providers with or without direct affiliations with the teams or universities (Baugh et al 2015; Baugh et al 2016; Buckley et al 2015). These data collection factors hinder the ability to study concussion incidence and outcomes (Maas 2009)
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