Source: Government of Ireland
The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD has today published guidelines to assist the public in recognising and managing concussion in grassroots sports.
Concussion can be caused by a blow to the head, neck or body and causes a disturbance to how the brain works. There are many signs and symptoms of concussion, common ones being headache, dizziness, memory disturbance or balance problems.
These guidelines provide the public with information on identifying the signs and symptoms of concussion, along with advice on how they can respond to someone who may be concussed.
Developed with the support of concussion experts from the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University, the guidance follows international best practice. It has now been circulated to the sporting bodies around the country.
The core message is “if in doubt, sit them out”, advising that anyone suspected of concussion should immediately be removed from play.
Minister Murnane O’Connor said:
Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Professor Mary Horgan said:
The Health Service Executive’s National Clinical Advisor in Neurosurgery Prof Donncha O’Brien said:
The document “Guidelines for recognising and managing concussion for grassroots sports” is available here.
The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Sport Ireland have circulated the guidelines to sporting bodies across the country.
The guidelines include prompt questions, such as asking the person if they know where they are, how they got to the sporting event and if they can describe the sporting event in which they are taking part.
While a healthcare professional with training in concussion should always play the lead role in managing the response, these guidelines reflect a more general understanding of concussion and the potential risks.