Preliminary clinical algorithm to optimise remote delivery of paediatric concussion care in Canada’s North

ABSTRACT

Concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury that affects thousands of children and adolescents across Canada annually. With timely access to comprehensive medical care, the majority of patients with acute concussion will recover within 1–4 weeks. Those who develop persistent post-concussion symptoms often benefit from early recognition and referral to multi-disciplinary concussion clinics that have the personnel and resources to meet their complex needs. Youth who live in remote and isolated communities within Canada’s North, a significant proportion of whom are Indigenous, face unique barriers and obstacles to accessing primary and specialised concussion care. Although telemedicine has recently emerged as a tool that can help address these gaps in care, there are presently no clinical guidelines or tools available to assist multi-disciplinary concussion clinics in providing remote concussion care to these medically underserved patients. Here we incorporate literature from a scoping review and our early institutional experience to present an evidence-informed preliminary clinical algorithm and resources to help guide and optimise remote paediatric concussion care delivery in Canada’s North. We also discuss how innovative technologies and partnerships can be leveraged to enhance the delivery of safe, equitable, cost-effective and culturally appropriate care to these communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Concussion
• paediatric
• telemedicine
• remote care
• healthcare service accessibility
• northern Canada

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support of this manuscript was provided by the University of Manitoba, Department of Surgery Thorlakson Fund.