American Academy of Neurology Launches New App to Help Evaluate Sports Concussion at Games

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Mar 18, 2013, 03:26 ET

SAN DIEGO, March 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the world's largest association of neurologists who treat brain injuries such as concussion, has launched a new app called "Concussion QuickCheck", to help coaches, athletic trainers, parents and athletes quickly evaluate if someone may have a concussion and needs to see a licensed health care provider, such as a neurologist, who is specialized in concussion.

The app, which is available for iPad, IOS (Apple), Android, and mobile, was developed in partnership with the Academy's updated guideline for diagnosing and evaluating sports concussion. The announcement of the new app was made at the Academy's Annual Meeting in San Diego today in conjunction with the release of the updated sports concussion guideline.

Key information and tools in the "Concussion Quick Check" app include:

Common signs of concussion
Symptoms of concussion
Things the athlete may tell you
What to do if an athlete has a head injury during a game
What to do if it appears the athlete has a concussion
When an athlete should return to the game
Help finding a neurologist near you (GPS capability)
Help finding state laws on concussion
More about the Academy's new guideline for diagnosing, treating and managing sports concussion

"The American Academy of Neurology, the world's largest association of neurologists, is the trusted authority in managing sports concussion," said Christopher C. Giza, MD, with the David Geffen School of Medicine and Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, who helped develop the content for the Concussion Quick Check app. "We hope this easy-to-access tool will help coaches, athletic trainers, parents and athletes alike to quickly determine if an athlete shows signs of concussion and needs to see a licensed health care professional trained in managing concussion, such as a neurologist. It's a perfect tool to have on your iPad or smart phone when coaching or watching a game from the sidelines."

Learn more at http://www.aan.com/concussion.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 25,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

SOURCE American Academy of Neurology