This paper is a revision and update of the recommendations
developed following the 1st (Vienna
2001), 2nd (Prague 2004), and 3rd (Zurich 2008)
International Consensus Conference on Concussion in
Sport and is based on the deliberations at the 4th
International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in
Zurich, November 2012.1–3
The new 2012 Zurich Consensus statement is designed to
build on the principles outlined in the previous documents
and to develop further conceptual understanding of this
problem using a formal consensus-based approach. A
detailed description of the consensus process is outlined
at the end of this document under the ‘‘Background’’
section. This document is developed for use by physicians
and health care professionals who are primarily involved in
the care of injured athletes, whether at the recreational,
elite, or professional level.
While agreement exists pertaining to principle messages
conveyed within this document, the authors acknowledge
that the science of concussion is evolving, and therefore,
management and RTP decisions remain in the realm of
clinical judgment on an individualized basis. Readers are
encouraged to copy and distribute freely the Zurich
Consensus document, the Pocket Concussion Recognition
Tool (CRT), the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool
version 3 (SCAT3), and the Child SCAT3 card (Appendix),
and none is subject to any restriction, provided it is
not altered in any way or converted to a digital format.
The authors request that the document and the accompanying
tools be distributed in their full and complete
format.