This article was originally published by kltv.com
BULLARD, Texas (KLTV) - A mobile app is helping athletic trainers with Bullard Independent School District better monitor the brain health of their student-athletes.
HitCheck, the latest assessment aid employed by Bullard ISD athletic trainers, is an app that, according to its website, helps track individuals' unique performance over time and screen for sudden changes after a potential brain injury that may be cause for concern.
Student-athletes take a baseline test well before taking the field. If there are concerns surrounding a hit to the head, the student would go through a series of cognitive tests that compare to his or her baseline test results.
“[There are] tests for balance; there are tests for memory; there are tests for all kinds of things that are mental so we can get an idea of where he compares to his baseline test if he were to have had a head injury,” said Jeff Shrode, a licensed athletic trainer with Bullard ISD.
Bullard ISD is using HitCheck for its second year through a partnership with Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine and Joint Hospital Tyler. The system works with 32 schools that range from small junior high schools to large high schools equaling well over 10,000 athletes, including Texas Youth Football & Cheer.
“We don’t have to reserve a computer lab to baseline or monitor athletes, and we have the ability to check an entire team in 20 minutes or less,” said Daniel Fuller, director of Sports Medicine Outreach for BSW TSJH. “The app gives us data that we as athletic trainers can evaluate and share with the physician attending to the athlete. It’s an amazing tool in our toolbox to better care for someone right on the sidelines.”
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