Publicação
Red-flag indicators of concussion for physiotherapy practice
| datacite.subject.fos | Ciências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Almeida, Patrícia | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Ferreira, António Cruz | |
| dc.contributor.author | Moita, Alice Margarida Cruz | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-02-09T12:22:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-02-09T12:22:47Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-12-12 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Objective: To systematically evaluate international literature on clinical red-flags and diagnostic tools used to identify concussion in the neurocognitive, sensorimotor, vestibular, and visual/oculomotor domains, thereby informing physiotherapists who act as first-contact healthcare providers. Design: Diagnostic systematic review of empirical studies and grey literature. Data Sources: Nine databases and grey literature were searched from inception dates to January 2025. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: English- or Portuguese-language publications involving adults (≥18 years) with suspected concussion that assessed red flags or diagnostic tools in the target domains. Four quality-appraisal instruments were applied, and reporting followed PRISMA guidelines. Results: From 222 424 records, 222 383 were excluded at title/abstract screening. Forty full texts were assessed and 17 met inclusion criteria: cross-sectional (n = 6), longitudinal (n = 7), reviews (n = 3), and one validation study. Five analytical domains emerged— neurocognitive (n = 7), sensorimotor (n = 3), vestibular (n = 3), visual/oculomotor (n = 4), and general (n = 3). Some studies contributed to more than one domain; therefore, domain counts exceed the total number of included articles. One single tool was applied consistently within the general domain, being the only one, highlighting substantial heterogeneity. Frequently examined red flags were emotional symptoms, memory deficits, postural instability, vestibulo-ocular reflex dysfunction and visual disturbances and instruments included the Graded Symptom Checklist, SCAT, BESS, SOT, ImPACT, ANAM, SDMT, VOMS, and KDT. Conclusions: Evidence supports a multimodal strategy that blends subjective symptom inventories with objective performance measures to flag concussion. Although many tools have international validation, none is culturally adapted for Portuguese-speaking populations, and none is universally adopted within any domain, limiting comparability across studies. Data on long-term outcomes and return-to-play decisions remain sparse. Physiotherapists are well positioned for early triage, but validated, context-specific tools are needed to optimise care pathways. Future research should prioritise cultural adaptation, psychometric validation, and integration of domain-specific assessments into physiotherapy-led concussion management | eng |
| dc.identifier.tid | 204179360 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/61547 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ | |
| dc.subject | Concussion | |
| dc.subject | Red-flag indicators | |
| dc.title | Red-flag indicators of concussion for physiotherapy practice | eng |
| dc.title.alternative | a diagnostic systematic review | eng |
| dc.type | master thesis | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Escola Superior de Saúde do Alcoitão | |
| thesis.degree.name | Mestrado em Fisioterapia Neurofuncional |