Stakeholder perspectives on navigating the pediatric concussion experience: Exploring the needs for improved communication across the care continuum.
Douglas Gomez, Ann Glang, Juliet Haarbauer-Krupa and 9 others
PMID 37125574WHAT IT FOUND
Stakeholders reported that communication from healthcare providers to schools is often ineffective or absent.
Parents who actively advocated secured more accommodations. Schools frequently lack a designated point person, and non-athlete students receive less coordinated support than athletes.
Key findings
01Communication from healthcare providers to school personnel was characterized as largely ineffective, with no communication occurring in many cases.
02Students with parents who actively advocated for them received more academic accommodations and had stronger communication linkages with professionals.
03Athletes were monitored more closely and received more support at school compared to non-athletes, who did not tend to receive supports.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 45 participants from a single geographical region in Georgia, USA, so the experiences may not apply to other areas or cultural groups. The data were collected cross-sectionally, meaning they reflect a snapshot in time rather than how communication needs change over the course of recovery. One focus group was conducted remotely due to the pandemic, which caused some transcription difficulties due to microphone issues.
Declared interests
The research was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the finding that parent advocates secured more accommodations as evidence that aggressive parental advocacy is the most effective clinical strategy. The study describes a gap in professional communication, not a recommended intervention, and relying on parents to bridge this gap may disadvantage families with less time, resources, or confidence to advocate.