JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Concussions, known as mild traumatic brain injuries, are complex injuries caused by direct or indirect blows to the head and are increasingly being recognized as a significant public health concern for children and their families. Previous research has identified few studies examining the efficacy of educational interventions on parental concussion knowledge.

Objective:

The aim of this research was to actively work together with children who have experienced a concussion, and their parents, to develop, refine and evaluate the usability of a digital infographic for pediatric concussion. We also aimed to assess parental knowledge and self-confidence of pediatric concussion before and after exposure to the infographic.

Methods:

A multi-phase, multi-method research design employing patient engagement techniques were used to develop a digital interactive infographic. Parents who were able to communicate in English were recruited via social media platforms and invited to complete online questionnaires. Electronic pre/post questionnaires were administered to parents to assess changes to concussion knowledge and confidence after viewing the infographic. A usability questionnaire with 11 items was also completed.

Results:

A digital, interactive infographic was developed. The interactive infographic is intended for parents and children and incorporates information parents and children identified as both wants and needs about concussion alongside the best-available research evidence on pediatric concussion. N=31 surveys were completed by parents. The average scores for each item on the usability surveys ranged from 8.03 to 9.26 on a 10-point Likert scale, indicating the usability components of the infographic were largely positive. There was no statistically significant difference between pre (M=9.1/10; SD=0.75) and post (M=9/10; SD=0.76) knowledge scores (t(30)=0.619, p=0.540). In contrast, there was a statistically significant difference between pre (M=3.9/5; SD=0.56) and post (M=4.4/5; SD=0.44) confidence in knowledge scores (t(30)=-5.083, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

Our results demonstrate that parents rated a digital, interactive infographic for pediatric concussion, positively. In addition, while there was no statistically significant difference overall in parents’ knowledge scores before and after viewing the infographic, their confidence in their knowledge did significantly increase. These results suggest that a digital, interactive infographic as a knowledge translation intervention may be useful in increasing parents’ confidence to manage their child’s concussion.