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. 2019 Sep 20;4(2):CNC63.
doi: 10.2217/cnc-2019-0004.

Preliminary evidence-based recommendations for return to learn: a novel pilot study tracking concussed college students

Zachary W Bevilacqua  1 , Mary E Kerby  2 , David Fletcher  3 , Zhongxue Chen  4 , Becca Merritt  1 , Megan E Huibregtse  1 , Keisuke Kawata  1   5
Affiliations

Preliminary evidence-based recommendations for return to learn: a novel pilot study tracking concussed college students

Zachary W Bevilacqua et al. Concussion. .

Abstract

Aim: Students re-entering the academic setting after a concussion is commonly referred to as return-to-learn and, to date, very few studies have examined the return-to-learn aspect of concussion recovery.

Methodology: Nine college-aged, full-time students who were diagnosed with concussions were monitored throughout their concussion recovery. The severity for five chief symptoms (headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, anxiety) were recorded six-times per day through text messages, and daily phone calls recorded participant's behavioral traits.

Results: We identified five behavioral variables which significantly influenced symptom resolution (music, sleep, physical activity, water and time) (p = 0.0004 to p = 0.036). Additionally, subjects reported math and computer-oriented courses as the most difficult (33 and 44%, respectively).

Conclusion: We introduce a novel approach to monitor concussed students throughout their recovery, as well as factors that may influence concussion recovery process.

Keywords: RTL; concussion; longitudinal; mTBI; phone call; recommendations; return to classroom; return to school; return-to-learn; text message.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure This work was partly supported from the Indiana Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Fund from the Indiana State Department of Health (to K Kawata: ISCBIRF 0019939) and IU School of Public Health faculty research grant program (to K Kawata: FRGP: 2246237). Sponsors had no role in the design or execution of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Study procedure timeline.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Study procedural compliance.
Response rates for phone calls (A) and text messages (B). Individual response rates are represented as part of a whole, separated by percentage ranges with accompanying (n) number of participants within that range.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Beneficial factors for concussion recovery.
Behavioral variables vs symptom severity. Music vs symptoms (A), and physical activity vs symptoms (B) are shown respectively. Our five text message symptoms are listed along the x-axis, with symptom severity change along the left-sided y-axis, and effect of the behavior listed along the right-sided y-axis. Significance was set at *p < 0.05. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.001.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Adverse factors for concussion recovery.
Behavioral variables vs symptom severity. Sleep vs symptoms (A), water vs symptoms (B), and time vs symptoms (C) are shown, respectively. Our five text message symptoms are listed along the x-axis, with symptom severity change along the left-sided y-axis, and effect of the behavior listed along the right-sided y-axis. *p < 0.05; ** p < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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