Preseason testing is important when developing concussion-related safety programs in high-school athletics. However, the relationships between many commonly-used and valid-baseline assessments are unknown
PURPOSE: To determine the relationships between King-Devick (KD) and the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool - 5^thEdition (SCAT5), commonly used as part of a pre-season concussion-safety program for high-school athletes. METHODS: SCAT5 and KD baseline scores from high-school athletes (n = 404, 28 = female, aged 16 ±1 years) were recorded and later analyzed. KD testing required participants to complete two, error-free trials, which were reported to the nearest 0.0 s and a single SCAT5 assessment completed one-on-one with a physician or athletic trainer. The SCAT5 test is composed of several relevant neurocognitive components (concentration, current number of symptoms, symptom severity, orientation, memory, neurological screening, balance, and recall). Due to the dichotomous nature of the neurological screening component, those data were excluded from this analysis (n = 9 scored in the abnormal category). Pearson-product moment correlations were calculated between the best-baseline KD score and SCAT5’s component tests, including a composite score. The composite score was calculated as a sum of z-scores from each individual test making up the SCAT5. RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation of the KD test were 52.5 ± 13.3 s. Pearson-product moment correlations revealed a weak-negative relationship with the SCAT5 component - Concentration (r = - 0.12, p = 0.02). However, no other meaningful relationships were detected [number of symptoms (r = - 0.04, p = 0.48), symptom severity (r = - 0.06, p = 0.22), orientation (r = - 0.07, p = 0.14), memory (r = - 0.02, p = 0.63), balance (r = - 0.04, p = 0.39), recall (r = 0.01, p = 0.88), and composite z-score (r = - 0.05, p = 0.30)]CONCLUSIONS:These data show that KD and SCAT5 scores are generally unrelated in this sample of high-school athletes. Clinically, the data support the true utility of neurocognitive testing resides in one’s ability to use the same test to directly compare pre- vs. post-test scores in diagnosing and monitoring recovery in athletes suspected of having a concussion.
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