An update to the AIS–AMA position statement on concussion in sport

The best approach is to take concussion seriously, treat each case carefully and be conservative with return to sport processes

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Australian Medical Association (AMA) position statement on concussion in sport and its dedicated online platform (https://www.concussioninsport.gov.au) were launched in May 2016.1 The aims were to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the evidence and present it in a format that would be accessible to all stakeholders; and to develop a set of guidelines for concussion management that would suit Australians who sustained a concussion in any sport and any level of participation. However, concussion research and guideline development progresses at a very fast pace, and it has become clear that the project needs to be regularly revised and updated as knowledge of concussion in sport continues to evolve. The gold standard for concussion in sport guidelines is the proceedings of the consensus meeting of the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG), which meets every 4 years to compile and examine the most current evidence. The most recent meeting of the CISG took place in Berlin in October 2016 and the outcomes were released as a consensus statement in April 2017,2 accompanied by a series of systematic reviews covering many aspects of concussion research and management.3-7 It was therefore necessary to update the AIS–AMA position statement to incorporate several aspects of concussion detection tools and management guidelines arising from the Berlin consensus. We also incorporated our own analysis of the evidence8 and discussed the position statement with representatives from several contact and collision sports. The main changes are summarised in Box 1. The updated version of the AIS–AMA position statement in concussion in sport was launched in November 2017 as one of the most current and informed tools currently available in Australia.