Impact of an inter-professional concussion awareness program for intramural athletes on students’ readiness for inter-professional learning

Abstract

Abstract Sports-related concussions are the third leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in student athletes throughout the country. In a survey of all NCAA member institutions, most respondents (92%) indicated that their school had a concussion management plan and most respondents (76%) indicated that their institution had a process for annual athlete concussion education.1 However, it is unclear how much education and training on concussion that intramural athletes receive at the college level. Two inter-professional teams comprised of graduate students from four health science disciplines presented 30–45 min concussion awareness programs to student intramural athletes. The objectives of this program were to promote effective communication, to improve readiness for inter-professional training, and to better understand each discipline's scope of practice related to concussion prevention, diagnosis, and management. Training teams were assessed pre- and post-presentation utilizing a modified “Readiness of health care students for inter-professional learning” (RIPLS) instrument and a knowledge assessment. Inter-professional education team competencies and oral communication skills were assessed utilizing a presentation scoring rubric. Significant differences were identified between pre- and post-presentation results in both the RIPLS and knowledge assessments. Student instructors' perceptions were that when they engaged in their discipline-specific role in concussion management, they gained a better understanding of the roles of other health professionals and increased their overall knowledge. This project allowed inter-professional student teams to increase their readiness for inter-professional training, knowledge, and scope of practice of other disciplines related to concussion prevention, diagnosis, and management strategies.