In Australia, high-contact sports, like football, rugby and such, have some of the highest head injury rates in the world. There’s an average of five injuries per team per season, no matter how intense the competition. To add to that, whether these head injuries lead to concussions cannot be ascertained instantly. Symptoms might take anywhere from 24 hours to three whole weeks to appear. 

Who wants to take that chance?

It appears that you won’t have to because transformative concussion management technology company HITIQ Limited (ASX: HIQ) is all set to launch a first-of-its-kind telehealth concussion assessment platform service targeting the Australian community sports market.

A concussion happens when a severe knock to the head results in a disturbance in brain function. Generally, signs and symptoms of a concussion show up soon after the injury. But some might not show up for hours or days. The current standard of care for a potential concussion is, put succinctly, inadequate. It is inconsistent and untimely and can lead to missed diagnosis and an elevated risk of health issues if nothing is done.

HITIQ CEO, Mike Vegar, shared, “Concussion is one of the biggest issues facing community/school sports, where the current standard of care is clearly inadequate. Our research suggests parents need better education, guidance & action from their clubs and leagues to better manage these serious incidents.”

And HITIQ can help with that. The Company has identified a significant market opportunity to expand its consumer offering. It will leverage its extensive global assessment databank from its CSX technology assessment platform and launch an Australian-first telehealth concussion assessment service to be marketed as “ConneQt.” 

ConneQt is an application that provides direct access, at an affordable cost, to a trained medical professional within 24 hours of an incident for a concussion assessment via a video/telehealth consultation. Based on the outcome of the initial assessment, the service will facilitate the process to connect appropriate medical services in a timely fashion to achieve the intended level of care.

This platform aims to provide an end-to-end concussion ecosystem to support the identification, monitoring and management of sport-related brain injuries. The product suite utilises high-end technology that will span multiple domains – from early detection and surveillance to assessment and rehabilitation technology tools. 

Its target is a growing worldwide concussion management market, including elite and recreational sports, clinical practitioners, military, research, and combat sports. The Company has already found its first commercial partner, the Australian Football League, with current strategy initiatives expanding commercially into Rugby League, Rugby Union, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, MMA and American Football (particularly the NCAA). The market opportunity globally represents about 500k athletes within the elite market and about 10 million in the consumer market.

Vegar added, “Our team is proud to be launching Australia’s first bespoke telehealth concussion assessment service that will deliver a massive contribution toward duty of care commitments and better health outcomes for all players. HITIQ’s ConneQt will be the breakthrough solution that parents, players and sports administrators desperately need to provide comprehensive support for anyone suspected of suffering a concussion and ultimately help drive our consumer segment strategy.”

Telehealth services ruled the roost during Covid when people avoided (or simply couldn’t) visiting the doctor. Virtually, healthcare professionals provided their assessments, aided by tech on their platforms. While detecting concussions virtually might not sound like a reliable solution, it is better than none and enables early detection quickly and affordably—a blessing for parents and players.