Online concussion resources for young children and caregivers: a systematic search

In Canada, concussions are common among children aged 3–12 years. Caregivers play a vital role in their child’s post-concussion care, highlighting the need for resources tailored to children and caregivers. Although many online pediatric concussion resources exist, their suitability for younger children and caregivers remains unclear. To identify and assess the quality, readability, usability, and suitability of online concussion resources for children aged 3–12 years and their caregivers. A four-phased systematic search strategy was used and involved: 1) searching Canadian children’s hospital websites, 2) applying pre-established inclusion/exclusion criteria, 3) evaluating content quality, and 4) evaluating resources for suitability, readability, and usability. The search yielded 738 resources.17 met the final criteria. Among these, 82.4% (n = 14) required the ability to read text, 11.8% (n = 2) specified the age of the resource targeted, and 5.9% (n = 1) focused on return to play beyond organized sport. The identified resources offer accurate concussion information for children and caregivers, but lack specificity for their intended audience and accessibility for nonreaders. Future resources should consider specifying the intended age group, improving accessibility for nonreaders, and including information about important activities for this age group such as returning to active play.在加拿大，3至12岁儿童的脑震荡（concussion）发生率较为普遍。照料者在患儿的脑震荡后护理中发挥着至关重要的作用，这凸显了针对儿童及其照料者定制专属科普资源的必要性。尽管目前已有诸多在线儿科脑震荡科普资源，但它们针对低龄儿童及照料者的适配性仍不明确。本研究旨在识别并评估面向3至12岁儿童及其照料者的在线脑震荡科普资源的质量、可读性、易用性及适配性。本研究采用四阶段系统性检索策略，具体环节包括：1）检索加拿大儿童医院官网；2）应用预先设定的纳入/排除标准；3）评估资源的内容质量；4）评估资源的适配性、可读性与易用性。本次检索共得到738项资源，其中17项符合最终纳入标准。在这17项资源中，82.4%（n=14）要求使用者具备文本阅读能力，11.8%（n=2）明确标注了资源的目标受众年龄，另有5.9%（n=1）聚焦于非竞技性运动之外的重返活动。本次识别出的资源可为儿童及其照料者提供准确的脑震荡相关信息，但未针对目标受众进行细化，且未考虑非阅读者的使用可及性。未来的相关资源应明确标注目标受众年龄，提升非阅读者的使用可及性，并补充针对该年龄段儿童的重要活动（如恢复自主活动）相关信息。