Validation of the OptoGait System for Monitoring Treatment and Recovery of Post-Concussion Athletes

Technology and concussion: A scoping review

Background

Technology for concussion identification and management is rapidly expanding across the continuum of care. Although many technologies offer a range of services around concussion, there is an absence of a non-commercial online location for medical providers to access regarding the functionality of the various technologies used in concussion identification and management.

Objective

The purpose of this review is to present research findings on technology for concussion identification and management.

Methods

Searches for eligible studies were conducted using the PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases with specific search criteria. Through a stepwise process, full-text articles were selected for inclusion if they described clinically useful electronic technologies (i.e. electronics able to be used in standard clinical environments including telehealth) by healthcare providers or end users (i.e. parents or athletes).

Results

A total of 29 articles were included in this review and described technology used to measure symptoms (3), neurocognitive performance (7), the visual system (4), and balance or dual task performance (18). Within the results, various technologies demonstrated increased utility for concussion identification, often detecting subtle deficits not possible with current low-tech clinical methods, differentiating those with concussion from those without concussion, with strong reliability and validity.

Conclusion

Innovative technologies included in this review demonstrate enhanced ability to identify and manage symptoms of concussion, neurocognitive deficits, visual deficits, and balance and dual-task deficits.