Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC): On-Site Mental Status Evaluation of the Athlete.
McCrea, Michael PhD *; Kelly, James P. MD +; Randolph, Christopher PhD ++; Kluge, Jon PT/ATC [S]; Bartolic, Edward PhD [//]; Finn, George ATC [P]; Baxter, Brian BS #
[Article] Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. 13(2):27-35, April 1998.

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Objective: This study investigated the clinical utility of the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) in detecting concussion in athletes. Method: Athletic trainers administered the SAC to 568 nonconcussed high school and college football players prior to the 1995 and 1996 football seasons. Thirty-three of these players experienced concussion and were tested immediately following injury; 28 of the 33 underwent additional follow-up testing 48 hours after the injury. Results: Concussed players scored significantly below nonconcussed controls on all SAC measures and significantly below their own pre-injury baseline performance. Follow-up testing documented return to preinjury baseline. Conclusion: These findings support the SAC's effectiveness in detecting concussion and tracking recovery in order to determine a player's fitness to return to play.

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