AFL-approved HeadCheck concussion app gets upgrade

By SANFL.com.au

Concussion management online app HeadCheck, developed in collaboration between the AFL, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Curve Tomorrow and a panel of sport-related concussion experts, has been upgraded and relaunched.

The AFL-approved free app, which is available for Apple iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) devices, is used to recognise and assist in the management of and recovery from any suspected concussion in children, and now adults as well.

The upgraded HeadCheck app is a resource to suit participants of all ages at all levels of the game and supports the management of concussion in Australian Rules Football from recognition through to return-to-play, in line with the AFL’s concussion management guidelines.

AFL Head of Concussion Innovation and Research, Adjunct Associate Professor Catherine Willmott, said the number one priority for the AFL was the health and safety of participants at all levels of the game and it takes the issue of concussion very seriously.

“The HeadCheck app is a fantastic resource to help trainers, coaches, volunteers and parents to recognise the symptoms of a suspected concussion and its severity,” she said.

“I would like to thank the world-leading experts at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute led by Professor Vicki Anderson, and the panel, on working with the AFL to provide this important resource to help with concussion identification, management and recovery.”

MCRI Professor Vicki Anderson, a paediatric neuropsychologist, said the developing brains of children and young people responded differently to a concussion, with acute care not always managed in line with the latest research.

“The HeadCheck app is a tool based on the latest evidence from MCRI and can provide up-to-date guidance from the point of injury all the way through to full recovery, regardless of whether you are a parent, carer, coach or volunteer,” Prof. Anderson said.

The SANFL is aligned to the AFL’s Community Football Concussion Management Guidelines which can be viewed here.