The American Medical Association this week adopted policies addressing concussions in youth sports, calling for all young athletes suspected of having a head injury be removed immediately from competition and permitted to return only with a doctor’s written approval.

"It is essential that athletes know how crucial it is to notify their coach, trainer, physician or parent if they’ve sustained any type of head injury because even mild cases of traumatic brain injury may have serious and prolonged consequences," AMA board member Dr. Jack Resneck Jr. said in a statement.

USA Football has maintained a similar policy since 2007, when it became the first national governing body of sport to partner with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Heads Up Concussion in Youth Sports initiative.

Through USA Football’s Heads Up Football program, all coaches, players and parents learn concussion signs and symptoms as well as what to do if a concussion is suspected.

Simply stated: When in doubt, sit them out.

Supported by more than three dozen medical and football partners – including the American College of Sports Medicine, National Athletic Trainers’ Association and all five major college football conferences – Heads Up Football also provides instruction on heat preparedness and hydration; proper tackling and blocking fundamentals; sudden cardiac arrest protocols; and equipment fitting. More than 5,500 youth leagues and nearly 1,000 high schools in 2014 signed up for the program, benefitting nearly 1 million players.

"By raising awareness of the serious risks associated with concussions and ensuring that the appropriate guidelines are in place, we can reduce the number of young athletes who may return to the game too soon, which can put their health at further risk," Resneck said.

USA Football also recommends return-to-play and return-to-study protocols for all youth organizations and school systems. Being cleared by a medical professional is just the first step of healing, said Dr. Gerard Gioia, a pediatric neuropsychologist and the chief of the division of pediatric neuropsychology at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and member of the USA Football Medical Advisory Committee. Symptoms can return with elevated exercise or mental strains.

“For concussion, when someone is asymptomatic at rest condition, we gradually add physical and cognitive demands to make sure the brain is functioning appropriately,” Gioia told USA Football in January 2014. “We monitor an athlete as he or she progresses through different planes of movement and increased heart rate, then introduce advanced movements, each of which adds more strain for the brain to handle. We monitor for the return of any symptoms. If the brain can’t handle the increased strain and force, the athlete is not ready to go back onto the field.”