How close to the Baseline scores must the Post-Injury scores be before the athlete can return to play?
Reliable change indices are a helpful tool for determining when an athlete’s post-injury test has satisfactorily approached baseline levels. On newer versions of ImPACT, a composite score is BOLDED if the post-test composite exceeds the reliable change index, and is thus considered atypical and representative of cognitive impairment related to injury. Once the composite is within the reliable change index, it is no longer printed in bold text. The RCI should not be the only criteria in determining when an athlete’s test scores are back to baseline. An examination of the athlete’s performance on individual tests should happen as well. In addition, symptoms and exertional testing should be a part of the process. And, of course, the ATC would need to first determine that the baseline was valid and representative of the athlete’s non-injured functioning.
