Self-reported survey on the practice behaviors of emergency medical doctors regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and education upon discharge of concussion patients

Yoon, Jaeyeon; Park, Hang A; Ahn, Ki Ok; Park, Ju Ok

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 36(1); 2025 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2025;36(1): 20-40.

뇌진탕 환자의 진단, 치료 및 퇴원 시 교육에 관한 국내 응급의학과 의사의 진료 행태에 관한 자기 보고식 조사

윤재연¹

, 박항아¹

, 안기옥²

, 박주옥¹

¹한림대학교 의과대학 동탄성심병원 응급의학과
²한양대학교 의과대학 명지병원 응급의학과

Self-reported survey on the practice behaviors of emergency medical doctors regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and education upon discharge of concussion patients

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hwaseong, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Myongji Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea

Correspondence

Ju Ok Park ,Tel: 031-8086-3660, Fax: 031-8086-2029, Email: juokpark@hallym.or.kr,

Received: October 10, 2023; Revised: October 29, 2023 Accepted: November 2, 2023. Published online: February 28, 2025.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
A survey was conducted to analyze the concussion care practices of emergency physicians (EPs) and identify the need for educational programs based on concussion care guidelines.
Method:
The cross-sectional self-report online survey was conducted over two months in 2023 and engaged emergency medicine residents and board-certified EPs. The survey consisted of questions about the respondents’ information and 23 questions regarding diagnosis practices, discharge instructions, follow-up instructions, and recovery instruction behaviors. The respondents were tasked with categorizing their practices as “usually” (more than 75% of the time); “often” (between 25% and 75% of the time); or “rarely” (less than 25% of the time).
Results:
Of the 115 participating emergency physicians, 70.4% held board certification. Most respondents (93.9%) usually explained potential emergency symptoms when discharging patients. On the other hand, the symptom scale tools for pediatric patients and screening for recovery-delay risk factors were rarely used. Only 34.8% and 33.0% of respondents usually explained the need for rest before non-contact, light aerobic activities and how to return to sports and physical activity, respectively, because of the lack of familiarity with the discharge and recovery instructions.
Conclusion:
Despite their knowledge of clinical decision rules and guidelines, EPs often struggled to apply them because of time constraints. These results highlight the importance of providing education and training to EPs to enhance their knowledge and skills in concussion care management. By doing so, it is possible to improve the quality of care provided to patients who have suffered concussions and reduce the risk of complications.

Key words: Brain concussion; Surveys and questionnaires; Practice management; Patient education as topic; Injury diagnosis