Developing a concussion assessment mHealth app for certified Athletic Trainers

Annually, 1.6-3.8 million concussions occur from sports in the United States, which account for 5-9% of all sports injuries. The dangers of concussions include prolonged post-concussive symptoms, increased risk of subsequent concussions, seizures, mental health issues, and in cases of second-impact syndrome (SIS), possible death. Certified Athletic Trainers (ATC) continue to serve an important role in providing assessment and treatments for athletes with sports-related injuries. They provide a critical safety net due to limited knowledge and misconceptions of concussion held by some youth sports coaches and athletes. However, availability of services from ATCs in rural areas is a challenge. In order to help extend coverage to more rural student athletes, we propose designing a telemedicine app following the mHealth development roadmap from the Center for eHealth Research (CeHRes). In this paper we will document contextual inquiry, user requirements capture, design phases, and app evaluation from the targeted user base.