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(MINOT, ND)
The next time you’re at a high school or college game, see if you can spot the Trinity Sports Medicine athletic trainer.  He or she will likely be the one on the sidelines using an iPad.

Known for integrating the latest approaches and technology into its clinical practice, Trinity Sports Medicine has wasted no time taking advantage of a new tool for assessing and managing concussion in athletes.

The tool is an iPad app, a software application that is essentially a tablet-sized version of the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT2). Developed by Presagia Sports – an athletic electronic health record utilized by sports teams and clinicians, including Trinity Sports Medicine – SCAT2 previously offered a mobile version of the concussion tool for smart phones, but the app was difficult to use due to the small screen. When Presagia came out with the iPad version on October 4, Trinity Health quickly purchased iPads for every one of its athletic trainers.

“It’s been an amazing tool for us,” said Trinity Sports Medicine Coordinator Robyn Gust. “The process is much more accurate; it gives us rapid assessment on the field and lets us track day-to-day how the athlete is responding. It’s really helping us provide better care for our athletes.”

With the iPad app, medical professionals assessing concussions are guided step by step through the SCAT2. The system provides automatic calculations and a built-in timer to facilitate secure, rapid and accurate evaluations. Baseline tests can be captured and all scores are summarized in a single view so that athletic trainers can easily compare the most recent concussion assessment to previous assessments and baseline scores. The system also produces a concussion injury advice document at the end of each evaluation that can be handed to the athlete or those responsible for them.

In the wake of growing awareness of concussions and their potential for long-term brain injury, sports medicine providers are seeking more precise instruments to protect athletes who are involved in collision sports.

The best thing about this tool is that it helps us understand what is going on with the athlete,” Gust says