Concussion knowledge and experience among Welsh amateur rugby union coaches and referees

View/ open
Author
Griffin, Steffan
Ranson, Craig
Moore, Isabel
Mathema, Prabhat
Date
2017-09-11Acceptance date
2017-01-31
Type
Article
Publisher
BMJ Group
ISSN
2055-7647
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Background Rugby union is a collision sport where participants are at high risk of sustaining a concussion. In settings where there is little qualified medical supervision, certain stakeholders (eg, coaches and officials) should possess sufficient knowledge in regard to the recognition and management of concussion.
Aim The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and experience of various aspects of concussion among coaches and referees involved in Welsh amateur rugby union.
Methods A questionnaire was distributed to 1843 coaches and 420 referees.
Results A total of 333 coaches and 283 referees completed the questionnaire (18% and 68% response rates, respectively). Participants exhibited greater knowledge of concussion symptom recognition relative to knowledge of both the consequences of concussion and associated return-to-play protocols, both of which could be considered poor. There were no differences in knowledge levels between coaches and referees or between participants with or without a history of concussion. Two-thirds of participants incorrectly believed that headgear could prevent concussion, and nearly 30% of coaches reported having witnessed other coaches allowing a potentially concussed player to continue playing.
Conclusions Identification of several misconceptions indicates that concussion management within Welsh amateur rugby union needs to be improved, warranting a multi-faceted educational intervention.
Journal/conference proceeding
BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine;
Citation
Griffin, S.A., Ranson, C., Moore, I. & Mathema, P. (2017) 'Concussion knowledge and experience among Welsh amateur rugby union coaches and referees', BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 3 (1), e000174. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000174
Description
This article was published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine on 11 September 2017 (online) available open access at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000174
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
Collections
- Sport Research Groups [1127]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, subject and abstract.
-
Concussion Knowledge and Experience within Welsh Amateur Rugby Union Coaches and Referees
Griffin, Steffan (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2015)bstract Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge and experience of various aspects of concussion amongst coaches and referees involved in Welsh amateur Rugby Union. Design: An online questionnaire was designed ... -
Concussed or not? an assessment of concussion experience and knowledge within elite and semiprofessional Rugby Union
Mathema, Prabhat; Evans, Daniel; Moore, Isabel; Ranson, Craig; Martin, Rhodri (Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2016-07-01)Objective: The primary aim was to assess experience and knowledge of adult concussion among international, professional and semiprofessional players, coaches, medical staff, and referees within the Rugby Union. The secondary ... -
The Effectiveness of Soccer Referees and Coaches with Respect to the Laws of the Game
Coleclough, Joshua (Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2013)The first aim of this study was to look into the effectiveness of soccer referees and coaches with respect to the 'Laws of the Game' through decision-making. Observing 106 player-to-player tackle incidents, referees (N=6) ...