Web-based multimedia athlete preparticipation questionnaire: introducing the video-PPE (v-PPE)

Preparticipation evaluation (PPE) to screen athletes for signs and symptoms of heart disease is recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Association of Family Physicians and multiple sports organisations.1 The 14-point questionnaire and the fourth edition of the Pre-participation Evaluation Monograph are two recommended screening tools. PPE is standard-of-care for high school and college athletes. As specific symptoms precede sudden cardiac death in adolescents in up to 20%–45% of cases, accurate screening can be life-saving.2 3 In contrast to asymptomatic individuals, symptomatic patients have the most compelling indications for additional testing and possible intervention, with the greatest benefit:risk ratio. However, many screening instruments do not adhere to current guidelines.4 Furthermore, nuanced symptoms are addressed with blunt questions that are easy to misinterpret, and no research has been done to improve participants’ understanding of survey items. The current PPE is hampered by a high false-positive response rate that is challenging for clinicians caring for adolescent athletes.5 We developed a video-assisted online preparticipation survey. Computerised questionnaires may be more accurate than paper surveys, especially given adolescents’ comfort with online technology and the highly saturated mobile device markets.6 We included …