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Concussion Management in PlayHQ

Applicable to: Club Administrators, Team Managers
 
Applicable to: AFL only
Application(s): Admin Portal > Competition Management
Participant Portal > My Account
Participant Portal > My Teams (Managing Participants only)

When a suspected concussion is recorded, a player is automatically suspended from upcoming games and cannot be selected in line-ups.

The player will be notified of the suspected concussion via email, and provided details on the process they must follow to safely return to play following a suspected concussion.

The team manager and relevant club administrators will be able to see this concussion record. Once the player has been cleared to return from the suspected concussion, the concussion record will only be visible to the player (or their profile owner). 

This guide provides a step-by-step overview of how to record and manage concussion incidents, and the steps required by players to return to play.

Create a concussion incident

Record a suspected concussion right away

A suspected concussion incident can only be recorded within 7 days of the incident date.

Club Admin Team Manager

When a player sustains a suspected concussion during a game

  1. Navigate to the Game Details of the relevant game in the Admin Portal.
  2. Switch to the Incidents tab and click Add Incident.
  3. Select Injury - Concussion as the Incident Type.
  4. Choose the affected Player and provide a brief Incident Description, then click Next.
  5. Review the Outcome Details, then click Create Incident.

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Team Manager

When a player sustains a suspected concussion during a game

  1. As a Team Manager with Management Access, navigate to My Teams via playhq.com.
  2. Open the Game from your team's Fixture page.
  3. Switch to the Manage tab and select Add Incident under the Actions menu.
  4. Select Injury - Concussion as the Incident Type.
  5. Choose the affected Player and provide a brief Incident Description, then click Next.

  6. Review the Outcome Details, then click Create Incident.

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When a player sustains a suspected concussion outside of a game

  1. From the Admin Portal main menu, select Incidents.
  2. Switch to the Non-Game Incidents tab and click Create a Non-Game Incident.
  3. Select Injury - Concussion as the Incident Type.
  4. Search for the affected Player by their Last Name, then click Next.
  5. Provide the Incident Date, Related Season, and a brief Incident Description, then click Next.
  6. Review the Outcome Details, then click Create Incident.

 

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Submitting a clearance to return to play

Only a player (or the profile owner on the player's behalf) can submit a clearance to return to play. 

The player will be notified via email that a suspected concussion has been recorded, and that they are ineligible for upcoming games until they follow the provided steps to return to play. 

  1. Review the Suspected Concussion email received - including the steps to return to play - before clicking Submit Medical Clearance.
  2. Alternatively, login to playhq.com and navigate My Account > Incidents, and click Submit Clearance.
  3. Enter the proposed Return Date to return to play, provide your registered medical doctor / GP details, confirm compliance with the return to play steps, and click Submit Clearance.

Incident status moved to Needs Review?

If the concussion status moves from OPEN to NEEDS REVIEW, then the player will remain ineligible for selection on a team sheet until a Team Manager or Club Administrator confirms via PlayHQ that they have sighted the medical clearance. 

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Reviewing the medical clearance of a player

Once a clearance to return to play has been submitted, the Team Manager and relevant Club Administrators will be notified via email of next steps.

The Incident Status will update from OPEN to either:

  • NEEDS REVIEW - A Team Manager or Club Administrator must take action before a player can be selected in a team sheet.
  • PENDING - No action is needed, and the incident will automatically close on the player's return to play date (if 21 days or more after the incident).

If a player sets their Return to Play Date to less than 21 days after the incident, a Team Manager or Club Administrator must physically sight the medical clearance for the player, and review and verify the clearance request via PlayHQ, to confirm a player is eligible for selection on a team sheet.

This might occur when a medical doctor has assessed a player and confirms no concussion was sustained. 

Follow the below steps to review and verify the clearance request, and close the incident in PlayHQ. 

What happens when the incident is closed?

Once complete and for player privacy, this incident will disappear from the incident list after the return to play date. 

Club Admin Team Manager

Reviewing the medical clearance of a player

  1. Navigate to Incidents in the Admin Portal.
  2. Use the Date Range search to find the relevant player's concussion incident in either the Game or Non-Game tab, and click Details.
  3. Select Review Medical Clearance.
  4. Review the clearance details provided, and enter the Clearance sighted by details before clicking Save.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What happens once a player has been recorded as having a suspected concussion?

When a suspected concussion is recorded by a player's Team Manager or a Club Administrator, the player is automatically suspended from upcoming games and cannot be added to a team sheet until they complete the clearance to return to play process.

Team Managers and Club Administrators can view current concussion incidents via the Incidents list in the Admin Portal and My Teams. 

How does a player request clearance to return to play?

The player must login to playhq.com to submit a clearance to return to play request, via the Incidents tab in their Account details (PlayHQ Profile).

The earliest that a player may return to play following a concussion (once they have completed a graded loading program and have obtained medical clearance) is on the 21st day following the concussion.

My medical doctor / GP cleared me of a concussion, but my Coach can't select me on a team sheet. What should I do?

If a medical doctor / GP determines that a player did not suffer a concussion, the player must login to playhq.com and provide a medical report and clearance to their club via their PlayHQ Profile.

In these circumstances, the player's Team Manager or a Club Administrator must confirm via PlayHQ that they have sighted the medical clearance for the player to then be cleared and eligible for selection on a team sheet.

Can concussion incidents be edited or deleted?

Team Managers and Club Administrators can edit a concussion incident date, or incident description, or delete the incident altogether if accidently created. Edits must be made within 7 days of the incident date, and so long as no action has been taken by the player to request clearance to return to play. 

Can concussion incidents be viewed after a player returns to play?

Team Managers and Club Administrators will be unable to view a player's concussion incident history, after they are cleared to return to play. 

Only the profile owner of the player can view historic concussion incidents in their Account details, under the Incidents tab. 

Our Coach or Captain enters team line-ups - can they record a suspected concussion incident?

No - only Team Managers and Club Administrators can create and manage suspected concussion incidents. If a team does not have an assigned Team Manager with Management Access, please contact a Club Administrator with Admin Portal access, to record a suspected concussion incident.