Open AccessSports Medicine Fellowship Training Improves Sport-related Concussion Evaluation
Author(s) -
Weston Northam,
Michael J. Cools,
Avinash Chandran,
Andrew Alexander,
Jason P. Mihalik,
Kevin M. Guskiewicz,
Kevin Carneiro
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
current sports medicine reports
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.424
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1537-8918
pISSN - 1537-890X
DOI - 10.1249/jsr.0000000000000730
Subject(s) - concussion , medicine , sports medicine , medical history , odds , physical therapy , logistic regression , physical examination , medical record , odds ratio , family medicine , certification , medline , injury prevention , poison control , emergency medicine , political science , law
Evaluating acute sport-related concussion (SRC) differs among providers, who apply international consensus and national guidelines variably. Retrospective medical record review was completed for 889 outpatients aged 7 to 18 years, diagnosed with SRC from 2014 to 2017. Associations between board-certified sports medicine fellowship (SMF) training status and assessment of concussion-specific history and physical examination items were tested using nonparametric χ tests. Differential odds (by fellowship training status) of using history and physical examination items were assessed using multivariable logistic regression modeling. Each SRC history and physical examination items were assessed in higher proportions by SMFs, as compared with non-SMFs, statistically significant for all tested items with the exception of headache history. SMFs demonstrated higher odds of detailed neurologic examinations and clinical cognitive testing compared with non-SMFs, after adjusting for patient and physician characteristics. Physicians caring for concussed patients should seek continuing education opportunities aligning them with training provided to sports medicine fellows.