Concussion History Survey

You are invited to participate in the Australian Institute of Sport Concussion Balance Study being conducted by Dr Lisa Elkington, Professor Gordon Waddington, Dr Greg Lovell, Dr Warren McDonald, and Dr Ryan Kohler. This is a joint project between University of Canberra and the Australian Institute of Sport. This project forms part of the PhD program as a research higher degree student at the University of Canberra.

What is the purpose of the study?
To improve our understanding of presentation and management of sports related concussion in Australia. Why is the study being conducted? Concussion is a very complex medical condition. It is a disturbance of the brain’s function however there are no laboratory or imaging tests available to determine whether an athlete is affected by concussion. We hope that this study will increase our understanding of this injury across a variety of sports in Australia, and help direct further research in this field. This will improve our ability to care for these athletes, and prevent potentially catastrophic side effects of returning a concussed athlete to training or competition.

Who can participate in the study? Any person who participates in sport and is aged between 13 and 25 is eligible to participate in the study.
Exclusion Criteria: Nil
Inclusion Criteria: To participate in the study you must be aged between 13 and 25 years, and participating in sport.

What choice do I have? Participation in the study is entirely your decision. Only those who give signed informed consent will be able to participate and if aged under 18 years of age there must also be signed informed consent of the parent or guardian. If you decide to participate you may withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason and have the option of withdrawing any data which identifies you. Withdrawing from the study will not affect your relationship with the AIS or the University.

What will be asked of you? If you consent to participate in the study, you will be asked to undertake a short questionnaire about your history of head injury.

What are the risks to you? There should not be any risks associated with participating in this study.

What are the benefits to you? The results of this study will help improve our ability to diagnose and manage concussion in sport allowing doctors to better care for those affected by concussion. This will improve the safety and health of those participating in sports with a risk of concussion.

How will my confidentiality be maintained? Information collected will be de-identified so it will not be associated with your name. You will not be identified in any reports, publications or presentations.

How will the results be used? Findings from this study will be published in papers in scientific journals and presented at scientific and medical conferences presentations and in a thesis to be submitted by Dr Elkington’s for assessment of her PhD. The funding bodies require regular progress reports on the research project. Final reports will be submitted to all funding organisations. Participants will be offered a summary of the results written in lay language and invited to attend information sessions summarising the findings.

Please Note: Any use of illicit substances or use of other substances disclosed during the study that would represent a breach of the code of the World Anti-doping Authority will need to be reported by the research team to the Australian Sports Commission who then may need to report to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

What do you need to do to participate?

Please read this Information Statement and be sure you understand its contents before you consent to participate. If there is anything you do not understand, or you have questions, contact one of the members of the research team. If you would like to participate please contact Dr Elkington: lisa.elkington@ausport.gov.au or by telephone + 2 62141111.

Who is funding the study?
Funding will be sought through the AIS high performance research fund.

Questions about the study?
If you have questions about the study or the tests being conducted, please contact one of the members of the research team Professor Gordon Waddington, Gordon.waddington@canberra.edu.au, Dr Lisa Elkington lisa.elkington@ausport.gov.au.

Concerns or complaints about this research?
The ethics committee of the Australian Institute of Sport has reviewed the protocols in this study. The study has been approved by the committee, number 20130607.
If you have concerns about this study or the way in which is being conducted, you may also contact the Secretary of the AIS Ethics Committee (Helene Rushby) on (02) 6214 1111 or by email Helene.rushby@ausport.gov.au.

By clicking "next" you are agreeing that you have read and understood the above information and are agreeing to participate in the study.