The NCAA Concussion Safety Protocol Management page provides updated requirements, guidance documents, and support resources that member schools must follow to ensure compliant, evidence-based concussion management practices. The page summarizes updates to the 2023 Concussion Safety Protocol Checklist, legislative changes, and recommendations developed in partnership with the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport.
Key Updates (Effective Jan. 15, 2024):
Evidence- and Consensus-Based Guidance
At its September 2023 meeting the NCAA Committee Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports approved modifications to the Concussion Safety Protocol Checklist, the Concussion Safety Protocol Template and the Concussion Fact Sheets, as recommended by the NCAA Concussion Safety Advisory Group. The Checklist is reviewed annually by the CSAG, which is composed of subject matter experts from external scientific and medical professional organizations and representatives from the NCAA membership to determine whether available research data and accepted industry practices may warrant revisions to its content.
The CSAG recommendations were informed by the Sixth International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport publication, NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium data and other emerging evidence-based guidance. The recommendations focus on evaluation tools, on/off field assessment, return-to-learn and return-to-sport management. Updated content is highlighted for easy identification.
NCAA legislation requires that schools’ concussion management plans be consistent with the Checklist. To facilitate and support member compliance with this requirement, Checklist updates have been incorporated into the approved Protocol Template. The Protocol Template includes all components of the Checklist and may be customized by schools to accommodate and reflect their individual needs and practices. Updated content is highlighted for easy identification.
In addition to maintaining a concussion management plan that includes an updated concussion safety protocol, schools in all three divisions are required to comply with the Interassociation Recommendations: Preventing Catastrophic Injury and Death in Collegiate Athletes, which contains content specific to concussion management and was unanimously endorsed and established as Association-wide policy by the NCAA Board of Governors in the summer of 2019.Â
Please email ssi@ncaa.org with any additional questions not addressed in this communication or related resources.
