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TEAM
PHYSICIAN CONSENSUS STATEMENT
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Summary
The
objective of the Team Physician Consensus Statement is to provide physicians,
school administrators, team owners, the general public, and individuals
who are responsible for making decisions regarding the medical care
of athletes and teams with guidelines for choosing a qualified team
physician and an outline of the duties expected of a team physician.
Ultimately, by educating decision makers about the need for a qualified
team physician, the goal is to ensure that athletes and teams are provided
the very best medical care.
The Consensus Statement was developed by the collaboration of six major
professional associations concerned about clinical sports medicine issues:
American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons, American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Society
for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine,
and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. These organizations
have committed to forming an ongoing project-based alliance to bring
together sports medicine organizations to best serve active people and
athletes.
Expert
Panel
Stanley A. Herring,
M.D., Chair, Seattle, Washington
John A. Bergfeld, M.D., Cleveland, Ohio
Joel Boyd, M.D., Edina, Minnesota
William G. Clancy, Jr., M.D., Birmingham, Alabama
H. Royer Collins, M.D., Phoenix, Arizona
Brian C. Halpern, M.D., Marlboro, New Jersey
Rebecca Jaffe, M.D., Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
W. Ben Kibler, M.D., Lexington, Kentucky
E. Lee Rice, D.O., San Diego, California
David C. Thorson, M.D., White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Team
Physician Definition
The team physician
must have an unrestricted medical license and be an M.D. or D.O. who is
responsible for treating and coordinating the medical care of athletic
team members. The principal responsibility of the team physician is to
provide for the well-being of individual athletes - enabling each to realize
his/her full potential. The team physician should possess special proficiency
in the care of musculoskeletal injuries and medical conditions encountered
in sports. The team physician also must¿ actively integrate medical expertise
with other healthcare providers, including medical specialists, athletic
trainers, and allied health professionals. The team physician must ultimately
assume responsibility within the team structure for making medical decisions
that affect the athlete's safe participation.
Qualifications
of a Team Physician
The primary concern
of the team physician is to provide the best medical care for athletes
at all levels of participation. To this end, the following qualifications
are necessary for all team physicians:
- Have an M.D. or
D.O. in good standing, with an unrestricted license to practice medicine
- Possess a fundamental
knowledge of emergency care regarding sporting events
- Be trained in CPR
- Have a working
knowledge of trauma, musculoskeletal injuries, and medical conditions
affecting the athlete
In addition, it is
desirable for team physicians to have clinical training/experience and
administrative skills in some or all of the following:
- Specialty Board
certification
- Continuing medical
education in sports medicine
- Formal training
in sports medicine (fellowship training, board recognized subspecialty
in sports medicine [formerly known as a certificate of added qualification
in sports medicine])
- Additional training
in sports medicine
- Fifty percent or
more of practice involving sports medicine
- Membership and
participation in a sports medicine society
- Involvement in
teaching, research and publications relating to sports medicine
- Training in advanced
cardiac life support
- Knowledge of medical/legal,
disability, and workers/compensation issues
- Media skills training
Duties
of a Team Physician
The team physician
must be willing to commit the necessary time and effort to provide care
to the athlete and team. In addition, the team physician must develop
and maintain a current, appropriate knowledge¿ base of the sport(s) for
which he/she is accepting responsibility.
The duties for which
the team physician has ultimate responsibility include the following:
Medical
management of the athlete
- Coordinate pre-participation
screening, examination, and evaluation
- Manage injuries
on the field
- Provide for medical
management of injury and illness
- Coordinate rehabilitation
and return to participation
- Provide for proper
preparation for safe return to participation after an illness or injury
- Integrate medical
expertise with other health care providers, including medical specialists,
athletic trainers and allied health professionals
- Provide for appropriate
education and counseling regarding nutrition, strength and conditioning,
ergogenic aids, substance abuse, and other medical problems that could
affect the athlete
- Provide for proper
documentation and medical record keeping
Administrative
and logistical duties
- Establish and
define the relationships of all involved parties
- Educate athletes,
parents, administrators, coaches, and other necessary parties of concerns
regarding the athletes
- Develop a chain
of command
- Plan and train
for emergencies during competition and practice
- Address equipment
and supply issues
- Provide for proper
event coverage
- Assess environmental
concerns and playing conditions
Education
of a Team Physician
Ongoing education
pertinent to the team physician is essential. Currently, there are several
state, regional and national stand-alone courses for team physician education.
There are also many other resources available. Information regarding team
physician specific educational opportunities can be obtained from the
organizations listed to the right.
Team physician education
is also available from other sources such as: sport-specific (e.g., National
Football League Team Physician's Society) or level-specific (e.g., United
States Olympic Committee) meetings; National Governing Bodies' (NGB) meetings;
state and/or county medical societies meetings; professional journals;
and other relevant electronic media (Web sites, CD-ROMs).
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- American
Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
11400 Tomahawk Creek Pkwy.
Leawood, KS 66211-2672
1-800-274-2237
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- American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
6300 N. River Rd.
Rosemont, IL 60018
1-800-346-AAOS
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- American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
401 W. Michigan St.
Indianapolis,
IN 46202-3233
(317) 637-9200
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- American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM)
11639 Earnshaw
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 327-1415
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- American
Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)
6300 N. River Rd., Suite 200
Rosemont, IL 60018
(847) 292-4900
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- American
Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (AOASM)
7611 Elmwood Ave., Suite 201
Middleton, WI 53562
(608) 831-4400
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Conclusion
This Consensus Statement
establishes a definition of the team physician, and outlines a team physician's
qualifications, duties and responsibilities. It also contains strategies
for the continuing education of team physicians. Ultimately, this statement
provides guidelines that best serve the health care needs of athletes
and teams.
Permission
to reprint this statement is granted by the project-basedÜ alliance for
the advancement of clinical sports medicine contingent upon the statement
being reprinted in full, without alteration and on proper credit given
to the alliance as shown, "Reprinted with permission of the project-based
alliance for the advancement of clinical sports medicine, comprised of
the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical
Society for Sports Medicine, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports
Medicine, and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine © 2000.
© The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
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