Engaging School Communities During COVID-19: The Role of School Nurses.

We explored the role of school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic by conducting interviews and focus groups with them in 2022 and 2023 in an urban public school district. Findings indicated that school nurses played an essential public health role in engaging the school community, overseeing COVID-19 testing, and enforcing risk mitigation strategies during the pandemic. Our results contribute to understanding school nurses' experiences during the pandemic and highlight the need for training and support for their vital role. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S5):S402-S404. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307591).

A Multi-Study Synthesis of Facilitators and Barriers to SARS-CoV-2 Testing Enrollment in School Settings.

OBJECTIVES: Understanding the motivators and barriers to testing enrollment from different stakeholder perspectives is essential to increasing participation in school-based testing programs, particularly among underserved populations. This multistudy analysis aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to enrollment in school-based testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: Four independent studies collected and analyzed qualitative data from study participants regarding: (1) motivators, benefits, and/or reasons for enrolling and/or participating in COVID-19 testing in schools; and/or (2) concerns, barriers, and/or negative outcomes related to COVID-19 testing in schools. Study authors conducted a retrospective review of findings from the independent studies to identify themes related to testing motivators and concerns that emerged across the studies. RESULTS: The analysis identified 10 distinct themes regarding the perceived motivators of COVID-19 testing in schools and 15 distinct themes regarding concerns and barriers to COVID-19 testing in schools. Common motivators across multiple studies included convenience of testing in school and the desire to keep self and others safe from COVID-19. Concerns about the implications of receiving a positive test result was a barrier identified by multiple studies. CONCLUSIONS: Themes from 4 independent studies revealed insights about the motivations and barriers to enrolling and participating in COVID-19 testing programs in kindergarten through 12th grade school settings. Study findings can be used to improve enrollment and participation in new and existing school-based testing programs to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in schools.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HEADS UP Branding and Evaluation Process.

Background: For 15 years, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) HEADS UP education campaign has focused on increasing awareness of concussion among children to reduce adverse outcomes from this injury. Objective: To keep pace with the rapid expansion in media coverage, research, state laws and education efforts on concussion, the CDC embarked on a comprehensive evaluation effort to assess the campaign's brand. Method: The CDC conducted a multi-step process to evaluate HEADS UP. This included surveying partner organisations and focus groups targeting key audiences. Results: The analysis demonstrated that most (70%) partner organisations have used the materials for 4 years or longer and more than half (51%) found the materials very useful or extremely useful. Focus groups with the campaign's target audiences yielded insights and opportunities to refresh the CDC HEADS UP brand. The need for more compelling images, prevention facts and use of eye-catching colours was signaled by all the campaign's target audiences. Updates focused on the use of data visualisation, more emotionally compelling images, and more engaging colours. The CDC also created a new tagline to focus on concussion prevention that encourages children and young people to think about protecting their brains from concussion so they can have a safer future. Conclusion: This paper describes the process used to update the branding of an educational health promotion campaign in order to meet the needs of key audiences. Findings can help others working to keep their educational campaigns relevant and aligned with an expanding and changing public health problems.

From the CDC: A qualitative study of middle and high school professionals' experiences and views on concussion: Identifying opportunities to support the return to school process.

INTRODUCTION: Current research recommends that students returning to school after a concussion should receive a return to school plan that is tailored to their individual symptoms. School professionals play important roles in designing and implementing the supports outlined in return to school plans. METHODS: This qualitative study explored middle and high school professionals' experiences with concussion, particularly their knowledge and perceptions of the injury and their experience with supporting students with concussion. Six focus groups were conducted with two to four school professionals per group, including two groups of teachers, two groups of school psychologists and counselors, and two groups of school nurses. Findings were coded into four categories: (a) challenges with identifying a concussion; (b) strategies for communicating with students about concussion; (c) barriers to implementing return to learn plans; and (d) establishing a collaborative school support team. RESULTS: School professionals who participated in the focus groups were knowledgeable about concussion and the importance of helping their student recover. Participants also understood the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussion and communicating with students and parents about this injury. However, the study participants reported various challenges related to concussion identification and management, including the perceived validity of concussion symptom reporting by students. A team-based approach was mentioned across all groups as the preferred method for school-based concussion management for students. CONCLUSION: School professionals in this study were eager to address concussion in their schools, but desire guidance on how to overcome social norms around concussion identification and reporting. In addition, there is a need for consistent use of written instructions from healthcare providers to help guide return to learn (RTL) accommodations. Practical applications: The findings from this study can help inform the integration of concussion, and other health, management plans in schools.

A qualitative study of barriers and opportunities for concussion communication and management among parents of youth sports athletes.

BACKGROUND: Concussion, a commonly reported injury among young athletes, can lead to short- and long-term physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related symptoms. Parents are in a unique position to help identify a possible concussion and to support an athlete's recovery. METHODS: This qualitative study used a focus group methodology to explore five research questions focused on two main topics: (1) parents' perception of concussion and (2) parent-athlete communication. Two authors independently reviewed notes from each of the focus groups and then generated a list of emerging themes related to five research questions. RESULTS: Parents in this study valued and were interested in discussing concussion with their athletes. However, parents were uncertain about their role in promoting concussion safety and often rely on coaches to communicate with athletes about concussion reporting and recovery. Participants described barriers their athletes may face in concussion reporting and suggested strategies to improve communication about both reporting and recovery. CONCLUSION: Concussion education efforts may benefit from promoting specific actions parents can take to prevent concussion and how to communicate effectively with their child about reporting a possible concussion.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline on the Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Among Children.

Importance: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussion, in children is a rapidly growing public health concern because epidemiologic data indicate a marked increase in the number of emergency department visits for mTBI over the past decade. However, no evidence-based clinical guidelines have been developed to date for diagnosing and managing pediatric mTBI in the United States. Objective: To provide a guideline based on a previous systematic review of the literature to obtain and assess evidence toward developing clinical recommendations for health care professionals related to the diagnosis, prognosis, and management/treatment of pediatric mTBI. Evidence Review: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Board of Scientific Counselors, a federal advisory committee, established the Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Guideline Workgroup. The workgroup drafted recommendations based on the evidence that was obtained and assessed within the systematic review, as well as related evidence, scientific principles, and expert inference. This information includes selected studies published since the evidence review was conducted that were deemed by the workgroup to be relevant to the recommendations. The dates of the initial literature search were January 1, 1990, to November 30, 2012, and the dates of the updated literature search were December 1, 2012, to July 31, 2015. Findings: The CDC guideline includes 19 sets of recommendations on the diagnosis, prognosis, and management/treatment of pediatric mTBI that were assigned a level of obligation (ie, must, should, or may) based on confidence in the evidence. Recommendations address imaging, symptom scales, cognitive testing, and standardized assessment for diagnosis; history and risk factor assessment, monitoring, and counseling for prognosis; and patient/family education, rest, support, return to school, and symptom management for treatment. Conclusions and Relevance: This guideline identifies the best practices for mTBI based on the current evidence; updates should be made as the body of evidence grows. In addition to the development of the guideline, CDC has created user-friendly guideline implementation materials that are concise and actionable. Evaluation of the guideline and implementation materials is crucial in understanding the influence of the recommendations.

Diagnosis and Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Children: A Systematic Review.

Importance: In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the research guiding pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) clinical management, in large part because of heightened concerns about the consequences of mTBI, also known as concussion, in children. The CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control's (NCIPC) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), a federal advisory committee, established the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline workgroup to complete this systematic review summarizing the first 25 years of literature in this field of study. Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the pediatric mTBI literature to serve as the foundation for an evidence-based guideline with clinical recommendations associated with the diagnosis and management of pediatric mTBI. Evidence Review: Using a modified Delphi process, the authors selected 6 clinical questions on diagnosis, prognosis, and management or treatment of pediatric mTBI. Two consecutive searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, ERIC, CINAHL, and SportDiscus. The first included the dates January 1, 1990, to November 30, 2012, and an updated search included December 1, 2012, to July 31, 2015. The initial search was completed from December 2012 to January 2013; the updated search, from July 2015 to August 2015. Two authors worked in pairs to abstract study characteristics independently for each article selected for inclusion. A third author adjudicated disagreements. The risk of bias in each study was determined using the American Academy of Neurology Classification of Evidence Scheme. Conclusion statements were developed regarding the evidence within each clinical question, and a level of confidence in the evidence was assigned to each conclusion using a modified GRADE methodology. Data analysis was completed from October 2014 to May 2015 for the initial search and from November 2015 to April 2016 for the updated search. Findings: Validated tools are available to assist clinicians in the diagnosis and management of pediatric mTBI. A significant body of research exists to identify features that are associated with more serious TBI-associated intracranial injury, delayed recovery from mTBI, and long-term sequelae. However, high-quality studies of treatments meant to improve mTBI outcomes are currently lacking. Conclusions and Relevance: This systematic review was used to develop an evidence-based clinical guideline for the diagnosis and management of pediatric mTBI. While an increasing amount of research provides clinically useful information, this systematic review identified key gaps in diagnosis, prognosis, and management.

Healthcare providers' attitudes and behaviours related to paediatric mild traumatic brain injury: results from the 2014 DocStyles survey.

OBJECTIVE: Explore healthcare providers' experiences managing mTBI and better understand their use of mTBI assessment tools and guidelines. Cross-sectional Methods: A random sample of 1,760 healthcare providers responded to the web-based DocStyles survey between June 18 and 30, 2014. The sample included family/general practitioners, internists, pediatricians, and nurse practitioners who reported seeing pediatric patients. We examined their experiences with mTBI to identify opportunities to increase preparedness and improve management of mTBI. RESULTS: Fifty-nine percent of healthcare providers reported that they diagnosed or managed pediatric patients with mTBI within the last 12 months. Of those, 44.4% felt 'very prepared' to make decisions about when pediatric patients can safety return to activities, such as school and sports after a mTBI. When asked how often they use screening or assessment tools to assess pediatric patients with mTBI, almost half reported that they 'seldom' or 'never' use those resources (24.6% and 22.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Most healthcare providers reported seeing pediatric patients with mTBI, yet most feel only somewhat prepared to manage this injury in their practise. Broader use of screening tools and guidelines, that include clinical decision support tools, may be useful for healthcare providers who care for pediatric patients with mTBI.

Concussion attitudes, behaviors, and education among youth ages 12-17: Results from the 2014 YouthStyles survey.

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed young athletes' (ages 12 to 17) concussion attitudes and behaviors, particularly their self-reported experience learning about concussion and intentions to report a concussion and disparities in these experiences. METHODS: We used data from Porter Novelli's 2014 YouthStyles survey that is conducted each year to gather insights about American consumers. RESULTS: Of the 1,005 respondents, 57% reported sports participation. Fourteen percent reported they may have had a previous concussion, and among them 41% reported having a concussion more than once while playing sports. Males (17.7%) were significantly more likely to report having a concussion than females (10.0%; χ2 (1)=7.01, p=0.008). Fifty-five percent of respondents reported having learned about what to do if they think they may have a concussion, and 92% reported that they would tell their coach if they thought they sustained a concussion while playing youth or high school sports. Youth from higher income families ($75,000-$124,999) were significantly more likely than youth from lower income families (less than $35,000) to report that they learned about what do if they suspected that they had a concussion. CONCLUSION: Age of athlete, parental income level, athlete's sex, and living in a metro versus non-metro area led to disparities in athletes' concussion education. There is a need for increased access to concussion education and an emphasis on customizing concussion education efforts to meet the needs of different groups. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: We identified athletes' self-reported previously sustained concussions and predictors of education related to concussion. Further research is needed to explore the age, gender and income gaps in concussion education among athletes.

A Scoping Review to Address the Culture of Concussion in Youth and High School Sports.

BACKGROUND: In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences emphasized the need to develop, implement, and evaluate effective large-scale educational strategies to improve the culture of concussion in youth and high school sports. In support of this recommendation, in this article we summarize research on factors that contribute to the culture of concussion. METHODS: We conducted the literature search using 7 electronic databases. We used a scoping review method to identify studies that addressed knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, use of educational resources, and interventions related to concussion among young athletes, coaches, and parents. RESULTS: Of the 33 articles identified, most focused on concussion education (N = 15), followed by knowledge (N = 13), behaviors (N = 13), and attitudes (N = 5). Three studies addressed multiple study populations. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid spread of concussion education and awareness efforts has outpaced research on effective strategies to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that contribute to the culture of concussion. Further research is critical to inform the development and implementation of large-scale educational efforts. This research should incorporate rigorous study designs; be inclusive of diverse ages, socioeconomic status, and racial/ethnic groups; and examine opportunities to improve behavioral outcomes around concussion prevention, reporting, and management.

Exploration of awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of traumatic brain injury among American youth athletes and their parents.

PURPOSE: Although much effort is underway by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other organizations to highlight the seriousness of traumatic brain injury, including concussions, among young athletes, little is known about how these athletes and their parents view this injury and how much they know about it. METHODS: Online surveys were conducted with youth who participate in sports (n = 252) and with the parents of youth who participate in sports (n = 300) to explore the ways in which these audiences view concussion and messaging related to concussion. RESULTS: More than four out of five youth and parents reported that they had heard about concussions, although awareness was significantly higher for some subgroups, including parents of children 10-13 years old, and parents who reported using the Internet several times daily. Youth ages 13-15 years were significantly more likely to strongly agree that concussions are a "critical issue," as compared with youth ages 16-18 years. Among parents, significantly more mothers than fathers agreed that concussions are a critical issue. More than half of youth participants strongly disagreed that their friends would think they were "dumb for caring about concussions," with girls significantly more likely to strongly disagree than boys. When parents were asked to identify organizations they would trust as a reliable source of information for concussions, the most frequently cited organization was the CDC. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study demonstrate a high level of awareness about concussion among youth athletes and parents of youth athletes. However, important distinctions among subgroups of both youth and parents-such as by race/ethnicity, age, sex, and Internet use-suggest directions for future communication and research efforts.