Step 2: Ensure that the athlete is evaluated right away by an appropriate health care professional.
Do not try to judge the severity of the injury yourself. Health care professionals have a number of methods that they can use to assess the severity of concussions. As a coach, recording the following information can help the health care professionals in assessing the athlete after injury:
- Cause of the Injury and the force of the hit or blow to the head
- Any loss of consciousness (passed out/knocked out) and if so, for how long
- Any memory loss immediately following the injury
- Any seizures immediately following the injury
- Number of previous concussions (If any)
(Source: US Department of Health and Human Services: Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
