Arizona first state telling athletes to pass concussion education exam
With the number of concussions, both reported and unreported in
Glendale, Peoria, throughout the Valley, state, and at the national
level, Arizona is stepping up and taking things a bit further.
Arizona became the first state in the country to mandate all
male and female athletes undergo concussion education and pass a
formal test before play though a program specifically geared toward
the student-athletes. Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s
Hospital and Medical Center, the Arizona Interscholastic
Association, and the Arizona Cardinals spoke of the idea in
concussion prevention and research, which immediately affects more
than 100,000 Arizona student-athletes, Aug. 16 at Barrow.
While 28 states, including Arizona, have concussion laws that
require concussion education, removal from play, and return to
play, Arizona is the first state to define and create the education
directly targeting students through a new e-learning module in
order to participate in athletics.
Dr. Javier Cardenas, neurologist at Barrow, has taken the lead
on the issue of concussion prevention. The testing process has
never been mandated before.
“We’re not just handing them (student-athletes and parents) a
piece of paper,” Cardenas said. “It doesn’t work, because they
won’t read it.”
Athletes view the test on Brainbook and have to pass it by Oct.
1. Brainbook is an interactive online site created by Barrow and
Arizona State University, which is designed to look like a social
media site. The students go through a series of educational
content, activities and videos. At the end of the module, the
students are required to pass the formal exam before being cleared
to play. The module is the first collaborative educational effort
between a football team, a hospital, and an interscholastic agency.
Brainbook is currently being evaluated for implementation in other
states throughout the nation.
Arizona ranks second in the nation for traumatic brain injury
and until now, there has never been a mandated education and
testing program for student-athletes to teach them about the
dangerous effects of concussion.
“There are approximately three million sports-related
concussions nationally each year,” Dr. Cardenas said. “Players
recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussion can prevent death
and disability. There is a higher rate of concussion in soccer and
other AIA sports, and we use role models, such as Ken Whisenhunt,
Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor, who’ve had concussions.
Cardenas said the purpose of showing the video is three-fold: to
help athletes, parents, and coaches be more aware of the signs of a
concussion, know what to do in the event of one, and to make sure
they have recovered completely.
Cardenas knows this will not eliminate all concussions, but he
hopes knowledge and a better understanding goes a long way.
“I hope this makes my job easier,” he said. “Most athletes have
gone back too early. Studies from multiple (neurological)
publications say when the athlete returns too soon, they are more
likely to have a second concussion.”
Reach the reporter at gwitkowski@star-times.com, or
623-847-4611.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of next week’s
The Glendale Star.