Concussion Assessment & Response: Sport Version

Now updated with a new look and feel!

The Concussion Assessment and Response™: Sport Version (CARE) is an app that helps athletic trainers, team physicians, and other qualified health care professionals assess the likelihood of a concussion and respond quickly and appropriately to this potentially serious medical situation. CARE provides instruction and helps document details during injury assessment and aids in tracking the recovery process. Assessment information recorded by the app can be e-mailed to physicians or other medical professionals. CARE also allows users to assess an athlete's readiness to return to play with a step-by-step testing regimen.

FEATURES:

Injury Assessment and CPR Cues
Balance Evaluation Scoring System (BESS)
Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC)
Graded Symptom Checklist (GSC)
Return-to-Play Guide
Concussion General Information (FAQs)
ACE Post-Concussion Home/School Instructions

HOW IT WORKS:

Injury Assessment

From the instant a player is injured, the user can select "New Injury" to be guided through a primary emergency survey that helps rule out a cervical spine injury, evaluate concussion signs and symptoms, and assess cranial nerve function. The app provides CPR cues for unresponsive athletes with no pulse and helps the user assess other serious signs of injury ("red flags") and provides a quick link to dialing 9-1-1.

Balance Error Scoring System (BESS)

The BESS evaluates an athlete's ability to maintain postural stability, providing important information about loss of balance in an injured athlete. CARE provides instructions for guiding an athlete through the BESS stances: single leg, double leg, and tandem. The app makes it easy to record baseline performance for healthy athletes; then, if an injury is suspected, the BESS can be administered again and the results compared to the individual's baseline.

Sideline Assessment of Concussion (SAC)

The SAC assesses the mental status of the athlete. Its questions address orientation, immediate memory, concentration, and memory recall. The SAC also enables the user to record neurological findings such as presence or loss of sensation, strength, and coordination in the athlete. SAC data can be recorded to provide baseline performance for each athlete; then, if an injury occurs, the SAC can be administered again and the results compared to the baseline scores.

Graded Symptom Checklist (GSC)

This tool enables users to track the severity of post-concussion symptoms during the athlete's recovery process in quantifiable terms. Users first select the timing of the assessment by choosing baseline, injury, post-game, or recovery and then rate the severity of each symptom on a graded scale from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (severe).

Return-to-Play Guide

This tool helps protect athletes from further injury by guiding them through a daily gradual physical exercise routine that tests their tolerance for exertional activity. Through a five-step, tiered workout routine, users ensure that the athlete is able to handle the exertional exercises as they progress toward their return to play.

General Information

The app's concussion information section helps ensure that users have a comprehensive understanding of concussions as well as the function of the CARE-Sport Version. Jason Mihalik, PhD, CAT(C), ATC, and Gerard A. Gioia, PhD, concussion specialists from the Matthew A. Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the Children's National Medical Center, have provided users with the most current and relevant information for this section.

Acute Concussion Evaluation (ACE) Post-Concussion Home/School Instructions

Included with the app is an instructional page that users can share with non-medical personnel, including coaches, parents, and athletes, to guide early management of the athlete following a concussion.