Concussion Management in Summer Camps

Authors

  • Roni L. Robinson The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Kristy B. Arbogast The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  • Barry A. Garst Clemson University
  • Daniel J. Corwin The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2019-8967

Keywords:

Concussion, Camp, Child

Abstract

Children are exposed to head injury throughout the year, specifically during the active summer months. Protocols for managing concussions at summer camps are varied, and the management of concussions in this setting has yet to be evaluated. Our objective was to characterize the patterns of concussion management among summer camp providers via a cross-sectional survey of clinicians. Of the 108 participants, 46% reported a protocol was used to treat concussion in their camp setting, 49% reported comfort in treating concussion at camp, 44% reported they would either send a child home or to a hospital immediately following the injury, and 85% reported they would be likely to use a standardized guideline. The strategies used by surveyed providers may be unnecessarily conservative in the management of concussions, and may also result in an over-utilization of health care services. These results provide a catalyst to create a standardized guideline. 

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Author Biographies

Roni L. Robinson, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Department of Orthopedics

Kristy B. Arbogast, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Center for Injury Research and Prevention

Barry A. Garst, Clemson University

Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management

Daniel J. Corwin, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Division of Emergency Medicine

Published

2019-02-06

Issue

Section

Research Notes