White Peta E, Donaldson Alex, Sullivan S John, Newton Joshua, Finch Caroline F
Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP), Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Centre for Health, Activity, and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2016 Nov 28;2(1):e000169. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2016-000169. eCollection 2016.
Preventing concussion in sport is a global challenge. To assess community-level adult male Australian Football players' views on following the Australian Football League's (AFL) concussion guidelines.
3 focus groups, each comprising 6 players from 1 regional league, were conducted until saturation of issues raised. Discussions followed a semistructured script and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted by 2 coders independently.
Identified advantages of the guidelines included highlighting the seriousness of concussion; changing the culture around playing with concussion and shifting return-to-play decision responsibility from players to others. Disadvantages included players being removed from play unnecessarily; removal of players' rights to decide if they are fit to play and players changing their behaviours to avoid being removed from play. Identified facilitators to guideline use included local league enforcement; broad information dissemination and impartial medically trained staff to assess concussion. Identified barriers to guideline use included players' desire to play at all costs; external pressure that encouraged players to return to play prematurely; and inconvenience and cost.
Players generally understand that the AFL concussion guidelines protect their long-term welfare. However, their desire to play at all costs and help their team win is a common barrier to reporting concussion and adhering to guidelines. Leagues should take a lead role by mandating and enforcing the use of the guidelines and educating coaches, game day medical providers and players. The return-to-play component of the guidelines is complex and needs further consideration in the context of community sport.
预防体育运动中的脑震荡是一项全球性挑战。旨在评估澳大利亚社区成年男性足球运动员对遵循澳大利亚足球联盟（AFL）脑震荡指南的看法。
进行了3个焦点小组讨论，每个小组由来自1个地区联赛的6名球员组成，直至提出的问题饱和。讨论遵循半结构化脚本，进行录音并逐字转录。由2名编码员独立进行主题分析。
确定的该指南的优点包括强调脑震荡的严重性；改变脑震荡情况下比赛的文化，并将复出参赛的决定权从球员转移到其他人。缺点包括球员被不必要地换下场；剥夺球员决定自己是否适合参赛的权利，以及球员改变行为以避免被换下场。确定的促进该指南使用的因素包括当地联赛的执行；广泛的信息传播以及有资质的医学专业人员进行脑震荡评估。确定的该指南使用的障碍包括球员不惜一切代价参赛的意愿；鼓励球员过早复出参赛的外部压力；以及不便和成本。
球员普遍理解AFL脑震荡指南是为了保护他们的长期健康。然而，他们不惜一切代价参赛并帮助球队获胜的意愿是报告脑震荡和遵守指南的常见障碍。各联赛应发挥带头作用，强制要求并执行该指南的使用，并对教练、比赛日医疗人员和球员进行教育。该指南的复出参赛部分很复杂，在社区体育背景下需要进一步考虑。
