Concussions

In March 2018, Ontario passed concussion safety legislation to help protect amateur athletes in sport and in school settings.1 Among other provisions, Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), 2018, sets-out requirements regarding removing athletes from sport and returning to school and sport after a suspected concussion. These regulations could result in an increase in patients seeking concussion assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management. The information below is presented to assist you in making decisions about concussion care. It is meant to be used in conjunction with information obtained during your client consultation, and with your clinical judgement, knowledge, and expertise.

The Concussion Awareness Training Tool (BC Injury and Prevention Unit) provides information and an e-learning course for health care providers. This site also link you to relevant resources, such as the standardized Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5), the child SCAT5, and medical assessment and clearance letters are also available.

To support you in helping clients recover from concussions, Parachute Canada has made the step-wise return-to-learn and return-to-sport protocols available for download on their website. Summarized versions of these protocols are also included on the medical assessment and clearance letters, linked above.

The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care’s concussion web portal also contains concussion information specific for health care providers.

Reference:

  1. Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (2018). Concussion in sport. Retrieved from http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/sport/concussions.shtml

This item was last modified on September 6, 2018