Citation

Howland J, Hackman HH, Taylor A, Brown L, Gapinski MA, Mills JK, Thornton K. J. Sch. Nurs. 2018; 34(5): 344-349.

Affiliation

Athletic Trainers of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, National Association of School Nurses, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1059840517702697

PMID

28378627

Abstract

In 2015, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health conducted focus groups with school nurses (SNs) and athletic trainers (ATs) from Massachusetts middle and high schools to assess implementation of legislated regulations relative to the management of students' head injuries incurred during extracurricular sports. Four tape-recorded focus groups were conducted by experienced facilitators. Lists of themes were synthesized by investigators for each focus group. Participating SNs and ATs supported the sports concussion legislation, felt that implementation had gone well, indicated that the law empowered them in managing return-to-school/play for students with concussion, and experienced support from their school administrators. Some SNs reported that they had applied relevant procedures to all students with head injuries, regardless of how or where the injury occurred. Challenges identified included protocols for away games, inconsistent concussion care by physicians, and a need for teacher education. Further research is required to quantify these findings.

Language: en

Keywords

athletes; athletic trainers; concussion; focus groups; regulations; school nurses; students