Open AccessPreliminary evidence-based recommendations for return to learn: a novel pilot study tracking concussed college students
Author(s) -
Zachary W. Bevilacqua,
Mary Kerby,
David Fletcher,
Zhongxue Chen,
Becca Merritt,
Megan E. Huibregtse,
Keisuke Kawata
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
concussion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.205
H-Index - 3
ISSN - 2056-3299
DOI - 10.2217/cnc-2019-0004
Subject(s) - concussion , anxiety , return to sport , physical therapy , psychology , tracking (education) , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , injury prevention , poison control , athletes , psychiatry , medical emergency , pedagogy
Aim: Students re-entering the academic setting after a concussion is commonly referred to as return-to-learn and, to date, very few studies have examined the return-to-learn aspect of concussion recovery. Methodology: Nine college-aged, full-time students who were diagnosed with concussions were monitored throughout their concussion recovery. The severity for five chief symptoms (headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, anxiety) were recorded six-times per day through text messages, and daily phone calls recorded participant's behavioral traits. Results: We identified five behavioral variables which significantly influenced symptom resolution (music, sleep, physical activity, water and time) (p = 0.0004 to p = 0.036). Additionally, subjects reported math and computer-oriented courses as the most difficult (33 and 44%, respectively). Conclusion: We introduce a novel approach to monitor concussed students throughout their recovery, as well as factors that may influence concussion recovery process.