Blog

How HeadCheck Implemented a League-Wide Concussion Testing System

Jan 09, 2018 | By HEADCHECK HEALTH

Onboarding the British Columbia Hockey League in Four Days

When HeadCheck Health partnered with the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) to implement our concussion testing system for the entire league, we knew the challenge would be great but not insurmountable. The BCHL is one of the most scouted and skilled Junior A hockey leagues in Canada with 17 teams and just under 400 athletes. The teams being spread across 945 km² presented a logistical challenge for our task of completing in-person training for each team athletic therapist and supporting them through the initial baseline testing of each player in the league.

We announced our partnership in August and within a week had a plan mapped out for how we were going to get the league up and running. Together with the League executives, we selected five days in September which would have all 17 teams in one city – during the Bauer BCHL Showcase. Shortly after the announcement, we connected with coaches and trainers to confirm the designated training and testing time. Prior to the Showcase, interested AT’s were invited to book an hour with our customer success team to get comfortable with our technology.

“The onboarding process was extremely smooth and efficient. The HeadCheck team worked with each of our teams’ trainers to ensure proper training and implementation. They remain in close contact with our teams and always available to assist directly. Overall I am very pleased with the level of service and support provided.” – Trevor Alto, BCHL Executive Director

Fortunately, the league has some incredibly diligent AT’s who work incredibly hard, long hours, traveling with the team and nurturing the athletes back to health when sick or injured. The season starts early for them – in August with organizing their equipment, stocking their medkits and getting to know their players. It was around this time that the BCHL announced they were moving forward with HeadCheck and in only a week we had meetings booked with those eager to get started.

By the time the BCHL Showcase rolled around, we had a detailed plan of attack and a team of four who were tasked with the training and testing for each team. Thanks to the excellent organization of the league, we knew exactly which teams would be in which locker rooms and confirmed with each team where and when we would meet them. Training for teams took about fifteen minutes and testing for each team took between 45-60 minutes depending on how many players and trainers were available for testing. Within four days, we had all athletes tested except for roughly 10 athletes who had not traveled to the Showcase with their team.

The great action continues in Chilliwack at the #BCHLShowcase pic.twitter.com/TUIVnsgUUj

— HEADCHECK Health (@HEADCHECKHealth) September 22, 2017

We were fortunate that the Athletic Therapists, Coaches, Governors, Owners and League Executives supporting these athletes collectively understood how we could ease some of the pains they faced in executing the league’s concussion testing protocol. By implementing the HeadCheck system, the BCHL now has a standardized concussion testing system for the entire league. Every team is now conducting testing the same way, using the same technology leading to improved player health and safety. When a player moves from team-to-team, their concussion history is transferred with them in the system so the new team can make more informed decisions if another concussion occurs. On a high-level, this type of data collection allows the HeadCheck team to run data analysis and provide the league with actionable insights that can improve safety standards across the league.

Overall, we were pleased that the onboarding process was done efficiently and effectively. We continue to work in partnership with the league to solve any issues and our customer success team is on call for 24/7 support. Onboarding a league of this size proved to be a valuable experience for our team and helps us to provide these services to new leagues that adopt the HeadCheck concussion testing system.

For more information on how HeadCheck can help implement our concussion testing system for your league, team or organization, please fill out the form here and we’ll be in touch!