Brains Worldwide Foundation launched a crowd funding campaign on #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving, seeking to fund concussion research, and the release of the Objective Brain Concussion Assessment and Monitoring System (OBCAMS). The target $100K will be “used in part to provide 150 families-with children 8-18 years old-greatly discounted home testing systems to objectively assess damage to their child’s brain, facilitate communications with doctors and monitor brain health for return-to-play decisions.”
Oz Schaefer, founder of the Brains Worldwide and inventor of the OBCAMS technology, stated in an earlier press release that “Researchers estimate as many as 90 percent of youth concussions are missed or never diagnosed, meaning up to 3 million children could be walking around with undetected concussions”. The release of OBCAMS in spring 2016 will reduce the amount of concussions that will go untreated or misdiagnosed, while the campaign for the technology spreads awareness of the hidden dangers of unidentified concussions.
OBCAMS is capable of testing key areas of the brain for essential functions such as memory, balance, reaction time, focus, and vision for the underlying symptoms of concussion with the ability to supply instant feedback. The speed and accuracy of the technology makes it easier for parents and coaches to identify when a child may be concussed, and informs them of how to proceed with treatment. Accuracy of the technology was confirmed by medical professionals: “The system identified 401″¦individuals with concussion symptoms. Of the 401 identified, 152 had be previously misdiagnosed or had gone undiagnosed”¦medical professionals independently verified concussions in [all of] the people identified as at risk by the OBCAMS”.
Schaefer went on to say that “far too often” symptoms are mistaken for other conditions. Our foundation provides parents with effective tools to play a major role in keeping children safe from the hidden danger[s] of undetected concussions”.
