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Head injury management plan

Student Recreation and Wellness Services (SRWS) policies regarding head injuries are in place to promote the health and wellness of students and members of The University of Akron community. The goal of SRWS is to educate participants and staff to the realities of head injuries and to minimize risk of further injury by returning to physical activity too soon.

Steps for management

SRWS utilizes three main steps for addressing potential head injuries.

Recognize

  1. Student leadership in Club Sports and Intramural Sports are required to complete the NFHS Concussion in Sports training program. In addition, all SRWS student employees maintain First Aid, CPR, and AED training.
  2. Staff are not able to diagnose concussions but they do have the authority to withhold participants from participation if a concussion is suspected.
  3. Know the signs and symptoms.
  4. If you suspect you or a teammate has a concussion, please report to the on-site staff immediately. For medical emergencies, call 911 or 2911 from a campus phone. Club Sports participants off site should utilize the accident report form and notify the Manager of Club Sports (clubsports@uakron.edu, 330-972-7610).

Remove

  1. If a participant is suspected to have a concussion a staff member will initiate the SRWS head injury management plan and complete an incident report.
  2. In any cases where loss of consciousness or other severe signs or sympotoms are present, emergency medical services are immediately notified.
  3. The participant’s access will be restricted until cleared by a medical professional.
  4. IMLeague status, Club Sport status and Rec Center access will be restricted until the proper medical clearance is received.

Return

  1. The injured participant is responsible for obtaining written medical clearance and bringing it to the main check-in desk at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
  2. Once the injured participant provides written medical clearance signed by a medical care provider, as applicable, his or her rec center access, IMLeagues, and club sports status will be changed to eligible to participate.
  3. The medical clearance form has no confidential or personal health care information listed; therefore, this form is kept on file.
  4. While you may be cleared for return to some or all activity by a medical professional, it is your responsibility to refrain from participation if symptoms return or get worse. If any symptoms return, it is important that you seek further care from a health care professional.

Resources

  • Student Health Services — on campus resource located in the Rec center.
  • CDC Traumatic Brain Injury — A Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. This resource presents TBI facts and presents information on how to respond to a TBI, steps to recover from a TBI, and how to prevent a TBI.
  • CDC Heads Up — This resource helps you recognize, respond to, and minimize the risk of concussion or other serious brain injury.
  • NFHS Learning Center: Concussion in Sports — The NFHS has teamed up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to educate coaches, officials, parents and students on the importance of proper concussion recognition and management.
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