Recommendations for institutions
| Domain | Statement |
| Content of concussion education for athletes and military service members | Provide athletes/service members with education that addresses: 1. The potential dilemma individuals face when deciding to disclose a concussion (eg, tradeoffs, concerns about what might happen next, knowing how to report, etc). 2. Short-term benefits of early concussion symptom disclosure (eg, athletic, academic, occupational). 3. What is known about possible long-term manifestations of concussion and head injury. 4. Concussion-related misperceptions (eg, knowledge gaps). 5. Site-specific information regarding institutional concussion resources and policies (eg, steps to take if an individual suspects they have a concussion). |
| Dissemination and implementation of concussion education | 6. Actively collaborate with organisational stakeholders (including coaches/commanders, primary healthcare providers, athletes/service members, military chain of command) to select concussion education approaches that are engaging, interactive and that foster discussion. 7. Share messaging about concussion symptom disclosure on a regular basis and in a variety of ways (eg, formal education, informal conversation, posters). 8. Integrate messaging about the importance of complete concussion symptom disclosure throughout the recovery process. |
| Concussion education for other stakeholders | 9. Provide coaches/leaders in the military chain of command with evidence-based concussion education that is aimed at supporting athletes/service members in concussion symptom disclosure. 10. Provide sports medicine/front-line medical staff with strategies about how to engage coaches/leaders in the military chain of command in supporting athletes/service members in concussion symptom disclosure. 11. Provide easily accessible information to parents/guardians about how to support athlete/service member concussion symptom disclosure. 12. Provide easily accessible information to other key site-specific stakeholders (eg, student-life administrators, faculty athletic representatives, leadership, chain of command) about how to support athlete/service member concussion symptom disclosure. |
| Team-level and unit-level processes | 13. Provide athletes/service members with education that addresses the role they can play in encouraging peers to disclose possible concussion symptoms (eg, share evidence-based bystander education programming). 14. Provide opportunity for team members and coaches/leaders in the military chain of command to discuss and establish team values that are supportive of concussion symptom disclosure. |
| Organisational processes | 15. Actively collaborate with organisational stakeholders (including coaches/leaders in the military chain of command, primary healthcare providers, athletes/service members) to identify and address organisational barriers to concussion symptom disclosure. 16. Evaluate the effectiveness of institutionally selected concussion education approaches in changing athlete/service member concussion symptom disclosure behaviour. 17. Communicate in a deliberate manner institutional values that emphasise safety and its importance in athletic performance/military readiness. |