Sport-Related Concussion Knowledge in French-Speaking Athletes, Coaches, and Health Care Professionals: Results From an International Survey on 2073 Participants

Objective: Evaluating sports-related concussion (SRC) knowledge, awareness of evaluation tools and management protocols, and access to educational resources within the French-speaking sports community in Canada and Europe. Design: Cross-sectional, anonymous online survey. Participants: French-speaking athletes, coaches, and health care professionals (HCPs). Intervention: The electronic survey consisted of 33 questions that can be grouped into the following 3 categories: (1) SRC knowledge assessment through self-report and general knowledge questions, (2) awareness of internationally recommended detection tools and managements protocols, and (3) access to educational resources. The survey was codeveloped with athletes, coaches, and HCP and validated by and expert panel. Main outcome measures: A SRC knowledge score was built based on answers to 4 questions on SRC mechanisms, symptoms, and management. Awareness of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5, the Concussion Recognition Tool 5, and the 6-step return to sport protocol were collected with coaches and HCPs. Results: Overall, 2073 participants responded to the survey, comprising 48% athletes, 33% coaches and 19% HCP. Knowledge scores (/100, median [IQR]) were highest among HCPs [98.1 (96.2, 100)], followed by coaches [96.2 (73.1, 98.1)], and athletes [90.4 (67.3, 92.3)] with significant differences between the groups (P, 0.001). Participants from Canada demonstrated higher knowledge scores [92.3 (75.0, 98.1)] than those from Europe [75.0 (67.3, 96.2); P, 0.001]. Similar differences were observed for the awareness of recommended tools and the access to educational resources. Conclusions: Knowledge translation strategies should be adapted to better reach the French-speaking sports community in Europe and further individualized according to professional role.