Exploring concussion awareness in hockey with a First Nations community in Canada

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this pilot study was twofold: (1) to begin to understand concussion in youth hockey in a First Nations community in Canada and (2) to determine the impact of a novel concussion education workshop. DESIGN: A one-group quasiexperimental time series study was undertaken. SAMPLE: A total of 41 participants consented, with 71% (n = 29) completing data collection at all three study time points. MEASUREMENT AND INTERVENTIONS: Two nurses one from the First Nations community and one from the tertiary care center collaborated to develop and deliver the intervention on concussion specifically general, hockey and symptom knowledge. The primary outcome was Total Knowledge Score (TKS), whereby correct responses to a self-reported questionnaire were summed and then converted to a percentage. RESULTS: The TKS were similar across study time points; preworkshop 71.7%, postworkshop 71.8%, and 6-month follow-up 72%. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses worked collaboratively with cultural experts from a First Nations community to integrate Indigenous ways of knowing into concussion awareness and safety for First Nations youth playing hockey.