Concussion Education, Management, and Prevention Policy

Current Options and Implications for the State of New Hampshire
PRS Briefs
PRS Policy Brief 1112-07
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Elizabeth
Ballantyne
Emily
Clegg
Amrita
Sankar
Ryan
D.
Dean
prs_brief_1112-07.pdf

The purpose of this report is to outline the history of concussion education, management, and prevention, as well as current action and legislation designed to address this problem. The report defines what a concussion is and its prevalence in sports, along with estimates for the cost of concussion treatment. It includes a detailed discussion of current national policies, private sector programs, and action taken by national sports organizations. The report then assesses the current concussion programs and policies in the state of New Hampshire, and provides a cost-benefit analysis for the value of concussion education, management, and prevention programs in other states and municipalities. The report concludes with suggestions on how New Hampshire could extend recently passed concussion legislation in light of other states’ actions, program feasibility, and policy implementation.