Creare and its clinical and research partners propose to develop a software platform, OnTRACK (Online Treatment Recovery Assistance for Concussion in Kids), for children and adolescents recovering from concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The platform includes a mobile application (app) for the patients and their care team (parents, teachers, coaches, etc.), a database server, and a decision support dashboard for healthcare providers. The OnTRACK app prompts the patient to report post-concussion symptoms across recovery in two distinct but equally important ways: cross-recovery graded symptom ratings to track overall recovery progress, and short-term daily dynamic exertional symptom responses to guide activity. Teachers, parents, coaches, and other authorized members of the patient care team also report patient progress when prompted. Beyond symptom reporting, the app provides education in the form of short interactive video clips that cover various topics related to concussion recovery based on the PACE (Progressive Activities of Controlled Exertion) model. Based on validated recovery trajectories, if the serial symptom reports indicate an atypical recovery pattern, the healthcare provider receives an alert to assess further and consider referral for treatment. To guide daily recovery, OnTRACK uses empirically-derived algorithms to determine when the level of symptom exacerbation reaches a certain threshold, delivering specific directive feedback to the child to manage their daily activities and reduce the disruptive symptoms. Based on the types and level of symptoms the patient reports, the app will provide specific treatment guidance to guide the patient?s response to the injury and help prevent chronic, maladaptive post-concussion response. The goal of the OnTRACK system is to afford the healthcare provider, patient, and family with real-time symptom data upon which to make informed treatment decisions.
OnTRACK is a medical mobile application that will help children who sustain a concussion with symptom management during their recovery. Recovery time typically takes from several weeks to a month while some children remain unable to return to their normal activities for a prolonged period of time. The app will help patients, their families, doctors, and schools track symptoms and identify problems early during the recovery, offering evidence-based intervention guidance to reduce and eventually eliminate persistent symptoms.
