Management of Concussion in Bantam Youth Hockey

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine how concussions are managed at the Bantam A youth ice hockey level in Minnesota. METHODS: A survey was sent via email to 57 head coaches of Bantam A (ages 14-15) ice hockey teams in Minnesota. Email addresses of the respondents were kept separate from the responses for confidentiality. Surveys were collected over 4 weeks, with weekly reminder emails sent out 3 times over the course of the study. Those who responded received a $10 e-gift certificate for a sporting goods store. The survey consisted of 11 questions. Questions focused on four (4) areas of concussion care; detection, evaluation, management and education. Descriptive statistics are used. This study was approved by the University of Minnesota and the Park Nicollet Institutional Review Board. RESULTS: Responses were received from 23 coaches from a sample size of 57 with 4 reminders for a return rate of 40%. Most coaches felt comfortable (39.1%) or very comfortable (52.2%) that players report concussions. Coaches felt comfortable (52.2%) in identifying concussions in their players. Of those responding to the survey, 87% indicated that they were responsible for the initiation of concussion evaluation and 78.3% indicated that they perform the initial evaluation. After the initial evaluation, 57% of those surveyed indicated that parents monitored the players during the game. With regard to return to play after a concussion, 82.6% of coaches would not allow return and 82.6% of coaches require physician evaluation and clearance prior to allowing return. Only 17.4% and 13% of coaches provided educational materials to parents and players respectively and 69.6% of coaches did not have any formal concussion education. CONCLUSIONS: Coaches are doing much of the initial concussion management at the Bantam A level in youth hockey throughout Minnesota. Coaches respect concussion and typically take symptomatic players out of competition and require physician clearance before returning to play. Further education, however, is still needed. Coaches need to be aware of the tendency of players to minimize or not report symptoms of concussion. Coaches should also be aware that educational programs, such as the Heads-Up program from the CDC exist and can be helpful. This study further confirms the need for concussion education programs for youth hockey coaches