Concussion Clinical Pathway

Children’s Hospital Colorado’s concussion clinical pathway provides guidance on the management of patients with acute head trauma resulting in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion.  The pathway:

• Offers a standardized approach in the initial diagnosis and treatment of patients with acute head trauma
• Provides clear next steps for supporting recovery, including guidelines for return to learn and return to activity/play/sport
• Provides guidance for recommended use of referrals throughout the recovery stages of concussion

Concussion Clinical Pathway

• Concussion Clinical Pathway

About our Concussion Clinical Pathway

The concussion pathway offers best practice recommendations for patients with acute head trauma resulting in mild TBI/concussion. The pathway was created by a multidisciplinary team of content and process experts including champions from sports medicine, rehabilitation, emergency medicine, primary care, neurology, radiology, and nursing. Additionally, our team reviewed available published literature to support evidence based recommendations.

Pathway highlights include:

• Clear diagnostic criteria for concussion
• Decision support for observation vs. imaging, including updated imaging options such as fast brain MRI
• Links to the Concussion Clinical Risk Scoring Calculator, which has been validated for use within 14 days of injury and helps evaluate the risk of persisting symptoms at 28 days post injury
• Recommendations for evidence based pharmacologic support
• Pathways for return to learn and return to activity/play/sport
• Recommendations for referral utilization in the recovery stages of concussion

The goal of the Agile MD format for these clinical pathways is to optimize evidence-based care for patients while improving workflow and enhancing the care team dynamic.