Concussion in contact sports: reliable change indices of impairment and recovery.
This paper reports a follow-up study to an article on the sensitivity of three tests of speed of information processing to impairment after concussion (Hinton-Bayre, Geffen, & McFarland, 1997). Group analyses showed that practice effects can obscure the effects of concussion on information processing, thereby making the assessment of functional impairment and recovery after injury unreliable. A Reliable Change Index (RCI) was used to assess individual variations following concussion. It was found that 16 of the 20 concussed professional rugby league players were impaired 1-3 days following injury. It was also demonstrated that 7 players still displayed cognitive deficits at 1-2 weeks, before returning to preseason levels at 3-5 weeks. The RCI permits comparisons between different tests, players, and repeated assessments, thereby providing a quantitative basis for decisions regarding return to play.
Hinton-Bayre
A D
AD
School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. anton@psy.uq.edu.au
Geffen
G M
GM
Geffen
L B
LB
McFarland
K A
KA
Friis
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005538:Football / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011594:Psychometrics