Finally, a Concussion App on iTunes

Concussion basics	What to do if a child is injured	Doctor's visit	Baseline testing	Return to Play	Prolonged recovery

March 17, 2011-

Review by Jean Rickerson

A free concussion app for the iPhone, iPad, and iTouch released today might prove to be a convenient tool for coaches, parents, and others to evaluate whether an athlete has suffered a concussion. 

 The free download includes signs, symptoms, and emergency features such as an automatic 911 call and hospital locator.  For an additional fee of $4.99 an unlimited number of athletes can take pre- and post-injury tests which include a balance assessment, coordination, memory, and a concentration evaluation, all of which are tallied into a final score. 

If an athlete takes the test prior to an injury, establishing a "baseline" score, this can be compared to results obtained post-injury which could give a trained medical professional more information in determining the status of the athlete's injury.

Coaches can use this to monitor an entire team, or parents can evaluate their own child at home.  Results remain private but can be emailed to a physician and are not stored in a centralized database.

Most concussion laws and current medical guidelines require a youth athlete to be removed from activity if a concussion is suspected, and they may not return to play until they receive written medical authorization. 

So on one hand, if a coach is performing this sideline evaluation, the athlete is suspected of having suffered a concussion and must sit out until they are medically cleared.  But for those athletes who appear "fine" but may have taken a hard hit this app does two things: it gives the evaluator insight into the athlete's condition through the battery of tests, and it allows the athlete extra time out of play to see if symptoms will appear.

The diagnostic tests are a combination of the medically accepted SAC, SCAT2, BESS, and the CDC's On-Field Mental Status Evaluation.

The app features easy-to-use instructions throughout and is very user friendly.  An Android version is planned for later this year.

Free download on iTunes

Disclaimer:  SportsConcussions.org,  its prinicpals and staff  have no financial interest in the iTunes Concussion App.  The opinions stated in this review are those of the editor and do not represent the opinions of any member of the SportsConcussions advisory board.