Self Reported Knowledge of Concussion Symptoms and Management by Middle and High School Club Lacrosse Coaches

TITLE: Self-reported knowledge of concussion symptoms and management by middle and high school club lacrosse coaches AUTHORS: Logan Ellis BACKGROUND: With an increase in sport participation across all levels, concussion prevalence has increased as well as reliance on coaches to recognize a concussed player. Little research has been done investigating how effective our current educational materials are with Lacrosse coaches of grades 6-12. STUDY DESIGN: Cross- Sectional LEVEL of EVIDENCE: Level 4 METHODS: Self-administered, online survey that included closed ended questions regarding recognition of signs and symptoms, consequences of inappropriate care, perception of own knowledge, and willingness to act. RESULTS: Among participants, an average composite score of 13/21 (62%) among all coach’s surveyed indicates a low level of functional knowledge with regard to concussion symptoms and consequences. Cronbach’s a analysis for symptom and consequence recognition yielded a= 0.734 and a= 0.631, respectively. Almost all participants have received either formal education (94%, n=63) or informal education (96%, n=64) with 82% (n=55) of those taking the initiative to talk with and educate their athletes about symptoms and the dangers of playing with a concussion. Linear regression for coach education source was calculated for formal education (r=0.10) and informal education (r=0.14) indicating that the form of education did not have a significant effect on the participant’s ability to recognize signs and symptoms. A linear regression was calculated for years of coaching experience (r=0.04) and did not have a significant effect of composite score. CONCLUSION: Sport related concussion (SRC) is a serious health issue, and due to inadequate medical coverage and educational models for coaches, the lacrosse community is not able to provide effective or appropriate care for their athlete’s with regard to SRC. Further research and development in the area of educational materials specific to lacrosse is a necessary step to providing the best education for lacrosse coaches and care for the health of lacrosse athletes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Better educational materials on concussion for lacrosse coaches may narrow the gap between the current state of concussion knowledge and best practice and the functional knowledge that lacrosse coaches possess in those same domains. This will provide a safer environment for lacrosse players in the absence of event coverage by a trained medical professional. KEYWORDS: Education, player safety, developmen