Concussion

Concussion is a very important topic for health care providers, athletes, parents, and administrative groups. This resource is intended to provide information for any individual interested in learning more about concussion. The information provided reflects the position on concussion of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians™ (ACBSP™). The ACBSP™ promotes the highest standards of excellence and clinical competence for doctors of chiropractic who specialize in sports medicine and physical fitness. The ACBSP™ provides two tiers of certifications: the Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians® (DACBSP®) and the Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician® (CCSP®). Each of these certifications utilizes a competency-based approach to concussion training and evaluation. The area of concussion management is based upon current literature and includes assessment of candidate knowledge.

The ACBSP™ Position Paper on Concussion is a valuable reference for any individual interested in concussion. This position paper provides answers and recommendations regarding concussion management for ACBSP™ certified doctors of chiropractic, doctors of chiropractic, other medical professionals, parents, athletes, and administrative groups.

Doctors of chiropractic with a current CCSP® or DACBSP® certification are qualified to manage the concussed individual in any patient population. Doctors of chiropractic may be qualified to evaluate, diagnosis and manage the concussed individual. The prerequisite management skills for a concussed athlete can be supported by additional education such as the ACBSP™ Concussion Registry Course (ACR-Course). The terminal degree of the healthcare provider does not necessarily render the individual competent to evaluate and manage the concussed athlete. Mastery of the concussion specific knowledge, skills and abilities to navigate the correct pathways of care are the keys to the successful management of the concussed individual. In fact, the states of Alaska, Arizona and Ohio have enacted legislation that allows doctors of chiropractic who maintain a current ACBSP™ certification and are listed on the ACBSP™ Concussion Registry Directory (ACR) to diagnose and manage concussion and/or make return-to-play decisions.

The management of concussion in athletics is an area of sports medicine that is clearly in a continued evolution. Several methods of evaluating and assessing concussion that was once considered standards of care are now defunct. The importance of arriving at correct clinical decisions regarding the assessment, management and return to play criteria of individuals who have sustained concussion remains one of the greatest challenges to sports medicine providers. To assist healthcare providers from any profession who wish to demonstrate a level of competency the ACBSP™ offers an ACR-C.

The purpose of the ACR-Course is to provide a learning format for healthcare providers to voluntarily review current evidence-based concussion management information and to demonstrate competency regarding the evaluations and management of concussion in sport. The healthcare provider will review the course materials and complete an outcome evaluation. The ACR is a list of healthcare professionals who have successfully completed specific training in the evaluation, treatment, and management of concussion in the online, self-paced ACR-Course provided by DConline.

ACBSP™ and DConline collaborate to offer the ACR-Course and the concussion registry. The ACBSP™ administers the registration for the ACR-Course and the listing of healthcare providers on the ACR on ACBSP™ website and DConline provides the content and delivery platform for the ACR-Course. Once the ACBSP™ receives a completed ACR-Course registration form or online order, the healthcare provider’s certification status with the ACBSP™ is verified (if applicable). The ACBSP™ provides DConline the registration information for all qualified and verified healthcare providers upon receiving payment for the course; DConline then initiates the registrant’s access to the course.

The course is updated as new information becomes available regarding sports related concussion.  A major update was completed in July of 2019.

Once a healthcare provider successfully completes the course their name, degree, ACBSP™ certification (if applicable) and date of expiration of their registration in the ACR are listed on the ACR on the ACBSP™ website. In addition, DACBSP® candidates who successfully pass the head trauma station of the DACBSP® practical exam are also listed in the ACR for two years from the date of their practical exam. Each provider’s registration expires two years from the month in which they successfully complete the concussion course.

ACBSP™ certificants may earn CEUs to meet their annual continuing education requirement by completing the ACR-Course. CEUs are awarded 1 CEU/hour actively spent in the online training course up to a maximum of 15 CEUs.

ACR-Course specific information:

• Time on task: The average learner spends 12.45 hours in the course with an additional 1 hour in the mandatory CDC course; so, the total time commitment is around 13.5 hours. This may change depending upon many factors including prior knowledge, reading rate and technical comfort with distance-based learning.
• Course delivery: The course uses PowerPoint, videos, narrative lecture, PDFs and outside resources, etc.
• There are two learning outcome requirements that are comprised of true/false and multiple choice questions.
• The minimum passing score is 80%.
• The questions for the outcome will be extracted from the course materials.
• The registry is not a certification.
• Healthcare providers who successfully complete the course will be listed on the roster of ACBSP™ Concussion Registry for a two year period.
• State CEUs are not awarded for this course.

All registrations are completed online using the form below.  If you have questions concerning registration, please call or email Cindy Hayter, Executive Director, at (844) 327-2255 or cindy@acbsp.com.