Pediatric Primary Care Concussion Evaluation and Management

Concussions are an important and timely subject, especially within the pediatric population, as they are the most involved in extracurricular contact sports and are susceptible to concussions and their sequelae. The researcher performed a quasi-experimental pilot study in a pediatric primary care office where the researcher educated 15 providers on the HEADS UP concussion screening tool and management approach. The researcher gave providers pre- and post-intervention surveys to determine if providers’ comfort and knowledge regarding assessing and managing concussions within the pediatric primary care setting changed. Four providers participated in the study. The researcher conducted a chart review two months after the educational intervention to assess changes in clinical care. Retrospective chart review of pre-education concussion care demonstrated varied evaluation and management approaches. Post-education chart review found one of the four providers using the full educational intervention. Therefore, targeted education and a chart review may be helpful to improve providers’ behaviors and actions related to clinical practice guidelines