Abstract
Importance: Given the importance of sports-related concussions among youth athletes, the rapid progress of research on this topic over the last decade, and the need to provide further guidance to youth athletes, their families, medical professionals, and athletic personnel and organizations, a panel of experts undertook a modified Delphi consensus process to summarize the current literature and provide recommendations regarding the prevention, assessment, and management of sports-related concussions for young athletes. Methods: A consensus panel of 11 experts was created to represent a broad spectrum of expertise in youth sports and concussions. The specific questions to be addressed were developed through an iterative process consisting of 3 rounds, and a review of the literature was conducted to identify research studies related to each question. The consensus panel used a modified Delphi process to reach consensus on the conclusions and recommendations for each question. Results and Conclusions: In 3 Delphi consensus rounds, 7 questions were addressed by the consensus panel of 11 experts, and 26 recommendations for the prevention, assessment, and management of sports-related concussions among young athletes were developed. For many of the questions addressed in this consensus statement, limitations existed in the quantity and quality of the evidence available to develop specific recommendations for youth sports stakeholders.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 79-85 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | JAMA Pediatrics |
| Volume | 174 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2020 |
Funding
reported receiving gifts from USA Football, US Lacrosse, USA Rugby, and the American College of Sports Medicine and receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health; and being employed as the editor in chief of JAMA Network Open during the conduct of the study. Dr Browd reported being the cofounder and chief medical officer of VICIS and the author of pending and issued patents licensed to VICIS and derived from work performed at the University of Washington, with paid royalties, outside the submitted work. Dr Gioia reported being a member of the Football Development Model Council of USA Football outside the submitted work. Dr Giza reported receiving grants from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the US Department of Defense during the conduct of the study; receiving grants from Avanir Pharmaceuticals and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Small Business Innovation Research at Neural Analytics, the University of California, Los Angeles Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program, and the Easton Center for Brain Health outside the submitted work and serving as a member of the advisory board of Highmark Interactive, a clinical consultant for the National Basketball Association and the National Football League, a member of the Neurological Care Program of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, and a member of the advisory committees of Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and US Soccer outside the submitted work. Dr Herring reported receiving stock options from VICIS, personal fees for serving as a team physician for the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Mariners, and volunteering for the National Collegiate Athletic Association outside the submitted work. Dr Labella reported receiving personal fees and reimbursement of travel expenses from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pop Warner Football, USA Gymnastics, the Illinois High School Association, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine, Northwestern University, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the National Federation of State High School Associations outside the submitted work, and serving on the medical advisory board of US Soccer and as a team physician for Northside Youth Football outside the submitted work. Dr Valovich McLeod reported receiving grants from the A. T. Still University Warner Grant Fund and the National Athletic Training Association Ethnic Diversity Enhancement Grant Advisory Committee and serving as a trustee of the United States Brain Injury Alliance outside the submitted work. Dr Meehan reported receiving a grant from the National Football League, philanthropic support from the National Hockey League Alumni Association, and personal fees from ABC-CLIO, Springer International, and Wolters Kluwer during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported. Funding/Support: This project was funded by US Lacrosse, USA Football, the American College of Sports Medicine, and USA Rugby. Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health