The Least Useful And Failed Concussion Apps

Concussion Quick Check

The app is produced by the American Academy of Neurology and has limited value outside of the US.

The main section ("Quick Check") contains several checklists:

• Common signs of concussion observed by others
• Common symptoms reported by the athlete
• What to do if the athlete sustained a head injury during the game: i.e., basic life support instructions followed by advice to consult a professional
• Remove from play and return to play: i.e., advice to defer these decisions to a neurologist

The next section is dedicated to finding a neurologist. This option requires an internet connection and enabling of the Location Services on the phone. A location can be entered manually via a city, state or zip code. The last section, "State Laws", lists legislation by State.

The Verdict: The app mostly serves as "yellow pages" for finding a neurologist in the States.

Concussion injury

The app redirects to the website “mybraintest.org” to check for symptoms of concussion via an online test. The remainder of the app consists of articles about diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and two concussion stories delivered by athletes.

The Verdict: A user might just as well google "concussion".

Concussion ED

The app is produced by Parachute, a Canadian charity dedicated to educating Canadians about the prevention of brain and spinal cord injuries. The main sections of the app, "Prevent", "Recognize”, and "Manage", redirect to the respective videos on YouTube. The menu is available in both official languages of Canada, English and French, but the videos on YouTube are in English only.

The Verdict: You might just as well go directly to YouTube.

Concussion Coach

The app is designed as an educational, self-assessment, and self-help post-concussion resource. It offers to do scheduled serial post-concussion symptom evaluations followed by management recommendations such as “practise yoga” or “remember fun vacation”. A number of self-help techniques are also provided, such as “inspiring quotes” and “mindful eating”.

The Verdict: In my cynical opinion, this app is of questionable practical value.

READ Women Have Harder Time Recovering From Concussions Than Men

Failed Apps

S.T.A.C. by The Medical College of Wisconsin advertised that it “effectively and objectively tracks symptoms of a concussion using the SCAT3 symptom checklist”. The app announced that it could not be installed in my device’s country. I wonder why folks in Wisconsin do not like Canada.

CSX HeadGuard: “This app is only available for approved registered attendees of respective CSX events”. A quick search revealed that the CSX company is based in New Zealand and focuses on concussions in professional rugby players. I like “All Blacks” (The New Zealand national rugby union team), but that did not help me get access to the app.

ConcuTrack categorically refused to work on my Samsung Galaxy S5 (Android 6.0.1) but, for some reason, worked somewhat on my ancient Motorola XOOM (Android 4.1.2) tablet. We did not go that far, however, which is understandable, since the app was designed for phones, not tablets.

The app offers “Standardized concussion tests for 6-18-year-olds”. My tablet managed to process (very slooooowly) only the first five questions, which comprised 16% of the entire test.

• Q1: Language preference (English or Spanish)
• Q2: Name
• Q3 and 4: Personal and provider’s emails. “Ask parents, if you don’t know” –  the app advised. I see some logic there. If a 6-year-old is able to ask: “Parents, what is the email of my medical provider?” then there is probably nothing wrong with his or her cognitive function.
• Q5: What month is it?

Something tells me that the next questions were going to be about the day of the week, date and year, just like in the ChildSCAT3. The app is not awfully popular, according to the installation statistics (only 50-100 installs). I wonder why.

In conclusion, a few good concussion recognition apps are available for non-medics, but there is an obvious lack of  SCAT apps for medical professionals.

Keep your head safe, everyone.