Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Project

College/School

College of Nursing

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Project Mentor

Michael Huggins

Readers

Grace Oppenheim

Abstract

Background and Review of Literature: Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a form of traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head and remains a prevalent issue across the 11-18-year-old age group within the United States. Historically, total physical and cognitive rest has been the preferred method to help individuals recover after suffering a concussion. However, recent data have shown that incorporating active rehabilitation or aerobic exercise therapy as part of acute post-concussion treatment is safe. Further investigation into these methods could provide valuable insight into prognosis as well as promote clinical recovery.

Purposes/Goal: This project involved delivering an educational intervention to primary care providers (PCP) about active rehabilitation of SRC in order to collect insights and gauge potential concerns regarding this emerging treatment modality. Additionally, this project updated the providers’ current understanding of consensus-based management of SRC.

Methods: This was a quality-improvement project with quantitative and qualitative data collection.

Implementation/Procedure: This DNP project was delivered at a primary care clinic in the Pacific Northwest region.

Results: PCPs recognized the potential benefits of this new treatment modality but expressed concerns over treatment coordination, recovery evaluation, and potential impact on patients.

Conclusion: This project educated PCPs on updated treatment guidelines for SRC and created an educational program to introduce active rehabilitation concepts.Though several PCPs recognized the intervention’s utility, they expressed potential logistical and safety concerns in relation to implementing such a program in a clinical setting.

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