In my session titled “Collaborative Management of Concussions in Adolescent Athletes in a Maine SBHC” I will share how our program has evolved. Concussion management is getting a lot of “press” but is still a very contentious issue with some coaches, parents, and athletes. I have attended two conferences where national leaders have presented the latest research on concussion management and current studies on the effects of repetitive concussions and the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which I will share in this presentation. The data is quite overwhelming regarding long term prognosis. When dealing with athletes who are not going to make a living playing professional sports, it is challenging to get the athlete and the parent to understand the risk of multiple concussions. Our program is very fortunate that we had an athletic trainer who is very knowledgeable about concussion management who paved the way by introducing the use of HeadMinder several years ago and doing yearly baseline studies on the athletes. We have a school nurse who is very involved; we co-manage the athletes. Our Athletic Director is very supportive as well. The key to our collaboration is communication and I will share how we accomplish this as well as our challenges. Over the past year we have continued to “tweak” our program according to the current recommended guidelines and research. As the nurse practitioner for our SBHC, I do a lot of sports medicine. Concussion is an area that I am passionate about and I am anxious to share our program and current knowledge with other SBHC’s.See you in Chicago!
Debra Nichols, RN, BSN, MN
Oxford Hills School-Based Health Center
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