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Despite increasing public scrutiny and a number of lawsuits in recent years, including one against the National Collegiate Athletic Association that ended in a $70 million settlement and stricter injury guidelines, most colleges believe their concussion management plans do a good job of protecting students from head trauma, according to a study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Nearly 99 percent of the 907 institutions who participated in the study said their concussion management plans protected athletes "well" or "very well." At the same time, about 7 percent of individual respondents did not indicate that their institutions had a concussion management plan in place, which is not in line with NCAA guidelines.
When asked to indicate who has final responsibility for returning athletes to play after a concussion, 83.4 percent said the team doctor, 72.8 percent said the athletic trainer, 31 percent said specialist physician, and 6.8 percent said coach. Nearly 7 percent said the final responsibility fell to the athlete. NCAA guidelines state that return-to-play should be decided by the team physician or athletic trainer.
About 40 percent of respondents said concussion education for coaches needed improvement. "Although a large majority of respondents indicated that their school has a concussion management plan, improvement is needed," the authors wrote. "Increasing scientific evidence supporting the seriousness of concussion underscores the need for the NCAA to use its regulatory capabilities to ensure that athletes’ brains are safe."
