Newswise — CLEVELAND -- In an effort to enhance care of concussions throughout Northeast Ohio, University Hospitals has developed a system-wide program involving specialists from the Neurological Institute and Sports Medicine program working together with primary care physicians.

“We want to provide physicians and patients with the gold standard of care and management,” Susannah Briskin, MD, Co-Director of the UH Concussion Management Program, a pediatric sports medicine physician with UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

“Much of the outreach for hospitals for concussion care has occurred through athletic trainers providing care to high school sports teams,” said Christopher Bailey, PhD, Director of the UH Concussion Management Program and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. “Our Sports Medicine program has built excellent relationships with many schools, and will continue to grow in the area. With our current initiative, we want to cover non-athletic injuries and adults with concussions. We want to improve access for adult care,” said Dr. Bailey.

According to him, standards of care for concussion are continually advancing. International written guidelines change every couple of years and it becomes difficult for even specialists as him to remain current on new knowledge. The Concussion Management Program, with UH’s new Primary Care Institute, has developed an educational training program for NE Ohio primary care physicians who receive a certification from UH on the management of concussions. “Knowledge and change are coming fast in this field, so it is essential for primary care physicians to know what the current standards of care are because many of them may provide initial management and evaluation of concussions,” said Dr. Bailey. “Patients may funnel to a primary care physician from a local emergency department or urgent care, athletic trainers, or a direct call from a patient.”

Drs. Bailey and Briskin, Alan Hoffer, MD, neurosurgeon and Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and Christopher Tangen, DO, family medicine physician, offered in May medical education to 28 primary care physicians who practice throughout Northeast Ohio. The sessions included symptom evaluation, recovery steps, and recognizing signs for further referral to specialists, among other things.

Additionally in June, 36 physical therapists representing every UH medical center, completed the nation's first ImPACT™ testing physical therapist course. UH has the first group of PTs to receive this certification.

Todd Zeiger, MD, Vice President, UH Primary Care Institute, said, “Primary care physicians not involved in sports medicine typically have not received training in concussion care. There also have been many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of concussions, but if you weren’t based in sports medicine, you might not have been exposed to that knowledge. We felt it imperative for our non-sports physicians to be educated in the diagnosis and treatment protocol for concussions.”

According to Dr. Briskin, handling concussions could involve multiple disciplines, including neurology, psychology, psychiatry, physical therapy, and other specialties, depending on the nature of the case. “UH Case Medical Center and UH Rainbow have become aligned with many regional hospitals that have excellent physicians and rehabilitation programs that are available to patients within our system and close to their homes, providing patients with more options for recovery care,” she said.

“In addition, with the planning of a Level I trauma center at UH Case Medical Center next year, we expect to see more head injured patients entering the UH system and we want to be prepared with a uniform, high level of care throughout the UH system,” she said.

As part of this new initiative, UH has established the phone number 216-983-PLAY (7529) and 216-983-HEAD (4323) for further information and referrals. UH is a certified ImPACT™ concussion testing provider offering testing for athletes, schools and other sports organizations. For more information regarding testing, please call 216-983-PLAY (7529). ###

About University HospitalsUniversity Hospitals, the second largest employer in Northeast Ohio with 25,000 employees, serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 15 hospitals, 28 outpatient health centers and primary care physician offices in 15 counties. At the core of our $3.5 billion health system is University Hospitals Case Medical Center, ranked among America’s 50 best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in all 12 methodology-ranked specialties. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, UH Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopaedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and genetics. Its main campus includes UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org