Standardization of SCAT-5 scores in college-aged individuals

Abstract

Concussions and their long-term effects have grown in prevalence in the sports industry in recent years, increasing from thousands to millions. Most clinicians and researchers believe more work can still be done to improve the diagnosis and treatment process. Advancements have occurred in injury definition and impact recognition, thus the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery processes need to match. The SCAT5, a standardized tool for evaluating concussions designed for use by physicians and healthcare professionals, is utilized for baseline testing and diagnosis. This study aimed to determine a normative dataset from the results of the SCAT5 performed on non-injured college-aged individuals. 26 participants (13 male and 13 female) completed the cross-sectional study. Data was collected via the SCAT5 questionnaire. Subjects were inquired to monitor their orientation, memorization, and concentration via the SCAT5 a valid and reliable measure currently utilized by healthcare providers. In addition to the orientation, memorization and concentration components, participants also completed the balance testing section which was the BESS test. Data from this study provides baseline comparative data on non-athlete college-aged individuals. This data can be utilized by clinicians in the concussion diagnosis and return to play decisions. Further research with an increased population is needed to find greater correlations between variables and a more robust set of comparative results.