Concussion Education Programs for High School Football Coaches: An Overview

Abstract

The increasing epidemic of concussion injuries in sports continues to attract significant attention throughout society. Leaders within the field of sports medicine have attempted to address athlete safety through educational programs. Although concussion education for athletic coaches is required by all states, individual learners should be considered when implementing these programs. Varying educational initiatives, lack of appropriate healthcare providers at athletic events, the difficulty recognizing the “invisible injury” by a diverse group of individuals, and the lack of enforcement of enacted laws are just a few obstacles that inhibit the concussion educational process required by legislation in all states. Appropriately delivered educational programs have the potential to improve management of sport-related concussion (SRC) at high school levels, providing a significant benefit to individuals across all societal levels. A comprehensive overview of commonly used concussion education programs provides a foundation of themes included in each program, while elucidating differences in program lengths, delivery methods, and targeted audiences. However, these concussion educational programs have been largely ineffective regarding injury reporting and participant safety. Researchers must study the effectiveness of the current programs through a lens of the five principles of knowledge transfer to make recognizable progress within this public health priority. A few recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of concussion educational programming include utilizing a dispersed delivery method to decrease the cognitive load and fatigue of participants, integrating reflective actions into modes of delivery for coaches, and employing reminder messages as cues to action. Schools would benefit from formally evaluating their current educational structure to ensure alignment with some of the recommendations.