Understanding Australian community members’ knowledge of concussion: a cross-sectional nationwide survey

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish current Australian community knowledge of: (i) mechanisms of concussion injury; (ii) concussion signs and symptoms; (iii) concussion response and management; (iv) pathways of seeking help for a suspected concussion; (v) recovery journey after sustaining a concussion; and (vi) community misbeliefs about concussion. METHODS: An online survey measured current knowledge of concussion held by the Australian community (≥18 years). Convenience sampling was used for national data collection. Quantitative methodologies were used, with thematic analysis applied to qualitative data. RESULTS: A total of 230 participants completed the survey, of which 168 (73%) were female. Most participants (n = 169/230, 74%) identified mechanisms of concussion injury; less than half of participants (n = 99/230, 43%) identified all the symptoms indicative of a person requiring immediate medical attention for a suspected concussion (<48 h); 85% of participants (n = 70/82) reported they would see a general practitioner immediately post-concussion; 18% of participants (n = 42/230) correctly identified the expected recovery timeframe of up to 4 weeks; and 27% of participants (n = 62/230) would continue to monitor symptoms for up to 4 weeks. Out of the 17 concussion-related statements designed to understand concussion misbeliefs, >80% of participants correctly responded to ≥10. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that Australian community members can generally identify the correct causes of concussion, but that common concussion misconceptions still exist. Future targeted concussion education for the community, potentially involving primary care providers (e.g. general practitioners), include symptom identification, when immediate medical attention is required following a suspected concussion, expected recovery time and the appropriate period for ongoing monitoring.