The head of the Cleveland Clinic Concussion Center has developed an app that can help identify when someone has a concussion.
Jay Alberts, PhD, BME, spearheaded the initiative to develop the C3 Logix iPad app, which detects symptoms related to concussions, such as decreases in cognitive function, vision impairment or change in balance. The iPad is strapped to the patient to determine if his or her balance is off, and can be used to test vision acuity, according to Cleveland.com.
"The fundamental thing to remember is that the app itself is not going to diagnose [a concussion] but will raise red and yellow flags in certain areas of function," Alberts told Cleveland.com.
The app, which was developed in 2011 and has been updated over the last four years, can be used on the sidelines of a sporting event to determine if a player sustained a concussion from a hit and whether it is safe to send him or her back onto the field.