Superb training manual for providers on how to do a virtual concussion exam
By Malayka Gormally. This article was initially published in our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.
When is virtual concussion care appropriate? How do you conduct a virtual concussion exam? Which part of the exam cannot be done virtually? (Spoiler alert, it’s orthostatic vitals, cardiovascular/respiratory, and gait). A group of leading U.S. and Canadian concussion researchers/clinicians have authored a Virtual Concussion Exam Training Manual under the auspices of a consortium of Canadian health organizations.
Although written for medical providers, the authors used graphics, design, and short videos to make the information accessible and easily digestible. Also in the pdf is a terrific list of “resources for best practice concussion exam and management.”
For each physical exam component, training videos and text descriptions describe how to do the virtual exam, including suggestions for how to phrase your explanation for the patient on what they need to do for the test. Each component also describes what abnormal findings to look for and how to take action on those findings. Components of the virtual exam include:
the neck and suboccipital region
the face and jaw, and cranial nerves
vestibular ocular motor screening (VOMS)
upper and lower extremity gross and sensorimotor exam
virtual positional sensitivity exam
