Summary / conclusions The SCAT is the most widely accepted and deployable sport concussion assessment and screening tool currently available .
There is some degree of support for using the SCAT2/SCAT3 and ChildSCAT3 in the evaluation of SRC , with and without baseline data .
The addition of an oculomotor examination seems indicated , although the most valid method for assessing oculomotor function is not clear .
Video-observable signs of concussion show promise , but there is insufficient evidence to warrant widespread use at this time
Objectives Several iterations of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool ( SCAT ) have been published over the past 16 years .
Our goal was to systematic ally review the literature related to the SCAT and provide recommendations for improving the tool .
Sideline Performance of the Balance Error Scoring System during a Live Sporting Event
Objective : The purpose was to examine the influence of a live sporting sideline environment on balance error scoring system ( BESS ) performance . Design : Prospect i ve longitudinal cohort study . Setting : The BESS was performed by all participants at 3 locations : ( 1 ) quiet laboratory , ( 2 ) football stadium sidelines , and ( 3 ) basketball arena sidelines . Participants : The experimental group had 38 participants ( age : 20.1 ± 1.1 years ; height : 170.0 ± 7.7 cm ; mass : 66.7 ± 9.5 kg ) who were female intercollegiate student-athletes ( SA ) . The control group consisted of 38 recreationally active female college students ( age : 20.8 ± 1.1 years ; height : 162.6 ± 6.0 cm ; mass : 63.7 ± 10.6 kg ) . Interventions : The 2 groups performed the tests at the same locations , the SA group during live sporting events and the control group when no event was occurring . Main Outcome Measures : The dependent variable was the total BESS score . Separate 2 × 3 mixed methods analyses of variance investigated the influence of the environment and practice effect . Results : There was a significant interaction for group by environment ( P = 0.004 ) , and the SA group committed more errors at both the football and the basketball setting s than the control group . The SA group also committed more errors at football ( P = 0.028 ) than baseline . The control group demonstrated a likely practice effect with fewer errors during each administration . Conclusions : The BESS score deteriorated when performed on the sidelines of a live sporting event potentially challenging the clinical utility of the BESS . Clinicians need to consider the role of the local environment when performing the BESS test and should perform postinjury tests in the same environment as the baseline test . Clinical Relevance : When performing balance testing of patients with suspected concussions , clinicians need to consider the environment in which the test is performed and attempt to match the preseason testing environment
Summary / conclusions The SCAT is the most widely accepted and deployable sport concussion assessment and screening tool currently available .
There is some degree of support for using the SCAT2/SCAT3 and ChildSCAT3 in the evaluation of SRC , with and without baseline data .
The addition of an oculomotor examination seems indicated , although the most valid method for assessing oculomotor function is not clear .
Video-observable signs of concussion show promise , but there is insufficient evidence to warrant widespread use at this time
Objectives Several iterations of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool ( SCAT ) have been published over the past 16 years .
Our goal was to systematic ally review the literature related to the SCAT and provide recommendations for improving the tool .