Kids Concussion Service research
This page is a research page. For clinical information, please view our sport and exercise medicine service page on the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network website.
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The Kids Concussion Service (KCS) is a clinical research group operating within the Sports Medicine Department based at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. We work closely with researchers from Australian universities including the University of Sydney, Western Sydney University and Macquarie University, and organisations such as Brain Injury Australia.
Objectives
Our research priorities focus on creating accessible interventions that support young people and children following a concussion. We are looking to investigate many of the recovery complications that are experienced post-concussion such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and sleep disturbance in the adolescent age groups, as well as investigating improved methods of assessing and treating younger children as they are a group that is often neglected in concussion research. The primary goal of this research is the translation to clinical practice.
Impact
- We have developed a Concussion Action Plan (CAP), which is accessible online, to be used by parents and healthcare providers. This is now routinely provided by Emergency Departments to children and their parents. The CAP has also been developed into a mobile app to provide users with a virtual specialist assessment experience though has not yet been rolled out for public use.
- Our research in exercise testing for children post-concussion has supported the development of rehabilitation programs, including CAP, that can improve sleep for children and adolescents post-concussion.
- We have disseminated research through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, including the most recent International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport.
