The King–Devick test for sideline concussion screening in collegiate football

Purpose: Sports-related concussion has received increasing attention as a result of neurologic sequelae seen among athletes, highlighting the need for a validated, rapid screening tool. The King–Devick (K–D) test requires vision, eye movements, language function and attention in order to perform and has been proposed as a promising tool for assessment of concussion. We investigated the K–D test as a sideline screening tool in a collegiate cohort to determine the effect of concussion. Methods: Athletes (n = 127, mean age 19.6 ± 1.2 years) from the Wheaton College football and men's and women's basketball teams underwent baseline K–D testing at pre-season physicals for the 2012–2013 season. K–D testing was administered immediately on the sidelines for football players with suspected head injury during regular games and changes compared to baseline were determined. Post-season testing was also performed to compare non-concussed athletes’ test performance. Results: Concussed athletes (n = 11) displayed sideline K–D scores that were significantly higher (worse) than baseline (36.5 ± 5.6 s vs. 31.3 ± 4.5 s, p