Organizations sponsoring athletic programs for secondary school-aged athletes should establish an athletic health care team based on 11 consensus points to ensure appropriate medical care.
Organizations sponsoring secondary school athletic programs should establish an athletic health care team based on 11 consensus points to ensure appropriate medical care.
OBJECTIVE: To present the recommendations made by the Appropriate Medical Care for Secondary School-Aged Athletes Task Force and to summarize the subsequent monograph developed around 11 consensus points. DATA SOURCES: The MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SportDiscus databases were searched for relevant literature regarding secondary school-aged athletes; health care administration; preparticipation physical examination; facilities; athletic equipment; emergency action planning; environmental conditions; recognition, evaluation, and treatment of injuries; rehabilitation and reconditioning; psychosocial consultation; nutrition; and prevention strategies. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Organizations that sponsor athletic programs for secondary school-aged athletes should establish an athletic health care team to ensure that appropriate medical care is provided to all participants. The 11 consensus points provide a framework-one that is supported by the medical literature and case law-for the development of an athletic health care team and for assigning responsibilities to the team, administrators, and staff members of institutions sponsoring secondary school and club-level athletic programs.
Almquist et al. (Tue,) conducted a review in Secondary school-aged athletes. Athletic health care team was evaluated on 11 consensus points for athletic health care team development. Organizations sponsoring athletic programs for secondary school-aged athletes should establish an athletic health care team based on 11 consensus points to ensure appropriate medical care.