Sideline Preparedness for the Team Physician: A Consensus Statement—2012 Update
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 44(12):2442–2445.
Full text is available online for free.
The Team Physician and the Return-to-Play Decision: A Consensus Statement—2012 Update
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 44(12):2446–2448.
Full text is available online for free.
The American College of Sports Medicine has updated two consensus statements. The first provides “physicians who are responsible for making decisions regarding the medical care of athletes with guidelines for identifying and planning for medical care and services at the site of practice or competition”. The statement is broken down into four main sections: preseason planning, game-day planning, postseason review, and summary. The goal of the second statement “is to provide physicians who are responsible for the health care of teams with a decision process for determining when to return an injured or ill athlete to practice or competition.” The main sections of the statement cover establishing a return to play process, treatment and rehabilitation of injured or ill athletes, and returning an injured or ill athlete to play.
I think these consensus statement updates are very important. It is important that all members of the sports medicine team stay current in the treatment of athletes. These consensus statements ensure that all physicians are following a similar process when making clinical decisions, therefore creating a sense of consistency across the board. As an athletic trainer, I feel better in knowing that everyone is staying up to date to ensure that athletes are safe and healthy!