Abstract
Introduction Prospective cohort studies represent the gold standard in injury surveillance. However, these methods require longitudinal monitoring and are highly resource intensive. We describe the use of video-analysis to inform injury prevention where no other surveillance data is available.
Materials and Methods Forty-eight female varsity rugby union matches were analysed through video-analysis. A three-stage approach to informing injury prevention included match event coding, suspected injury and concussion analysis, and tackle analysis. Key stakeholder engagement at each stage and video tagging by researchers and clinicians were undertaken. To identify suspected injury and concussion, operationally defined criteria were used. These criteria were face and content validated. Four suspected injury and 15 suspected concussion criteria were used. Each coder was required to complete inter-rater reliability, using the group consensus as the gold standard response for comparison.
Results 225 suspected injuries and 59 suspected concussions were identified. The median number of injury criteria met was 3/4, with medical attention being required in 81% of cases, yet only 29% required removal from the field. Median number of concussion criteria was 2/15. Medical attention was the injury criteria with the highest level of agreement between unique coders (78–100% agreement).
Conclusion Video-analysis is an underused tool for capturing suspected injury/concussion events. When undertaken using clearly operationalised definitions and in consultation with medical experts, vital information can be acquired to inform prevention strategies. The implications of this are wide-ranging and offer new opportunities for surveillance and prevention in under-reported and/or under-resourced sporting environments, particularly youth and female sport.
Materials and Methods Forty-eight female varsity rugby union matches were analysed through video-analysis. A three-stage approach to informing injury prevention included match event coding, suspected injury and concussion analysis, and tackle analysis. Key stakeholder engagement at each stage and video tagging by researchers and clinicians were undertaken. To identify suspected injury and concussion, operationally defined criteria were used. These criteria were face and content validated. Four suspected injury and 15 suspected concussion criteria were used. Each coder was required to complete inter-rater reliability, using the group consensus as the gold standard response for comparison.
Results 225 suspected injuries and 59 suspected concussions were identified. The median number of injury criteria met was 3/4, with medical attention being required in 81% of cases, yet only 29% required removal from the field. Median number of concussion criteria was 2/15. Medical attention was the injury criteria with the highest level of agreement between unique coders (78–100% agreement).
Conclusion Video-analysis is an underused tool for capturing suspected injury/concussion events. When undertaken using clearly operationalised definitions and in consultation with medical experts, vital information can be acquired to inform prevention strategies. The implications of this are wide-ranging and offer new opportunities for surveillance and prevention in under-reported and/or under-resourced sporting environments, particularly youth and female sport.
Original language | English |
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DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 20 Jan 2022 |