Covering kids’ sporting events more complex than it once was

Orthopedists covering youth sporting events need to define clear lines of communication, formulate an emergency plan.

Issue: May 2005

AAOS - Washington WASHINGTON — Emergency preparedness is among the essentials an orthopedic surgeon needs to bring to the game when he or she is responsible for medical coverage at youth athletic events. Fortunately, physicians can set up much of that at the beginning of each new sports season when developing an appropriate emergency plan with a school or club’s medical team.

“Emergency preparation is essential. We all hope we never have to face a life-threatening medical emergency in athletics. But, if we do, there’s little time to figure and plot. Planning and practice are required. Appropriate responses must come automatically,” said Letha Y. Griffin, MD, a sports medicine specialist who practices at the Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic, in Atlanta.

Conducting an American Red Cross CPR course for coaches, parents and interested staff members at the start of the season ensures that someone who is CRP-certified is nearly always available to aid athletes on-site.

Griffin presented useful information related to medical coverage of youth sporting events during an instructional course lecture entitled “The Adolescent Athlete: Basics and Beyond,” given at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 72nd Annual Meeting.

Written emergency plan

Topping Griffin’s “To Do” list for emergency preparedness: developing and writing out, in an easy-to-read format, an emergency plan that is given to all adults involved in the high school, junior high school or club athletic program. She noted the importance of making sure everyone involved with the team understands their responsibilities in order to create the best plan. “There can be no misunderstandings in an emergent situation,” she said.

Another way to avoid confusion when an emergency arises is to cover every possible scenario in the written emergency plan, such as the appropriate response when an athlete is stung by a bee and has a reaction, or when a football player has a head injury. If the plan is written out clearly in steps or using bullet points in a pocket-sized booklet, for example, “one can open the book and review the plan, if one can’t remember,” Griffin said.

In 1998, 10% of schools surveyed did not have an established emergency plan for their sports teams, she said. Today it is “a much more complex situation than when we used to say ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll be there at 2:00 to cover the game.’ But I suggest, in 2005, preplanning for emergencies is essential.”

Other tips Griffin offered were carefully checking outdoor playing fields for holes and debris prior to the start of the game and ensuring the security and safety of equipment the athletes use, like the helmet clips and the stability of soccer goal posts. “You’d rather have problems on the preventative side rather than on the treatment side,” she said, noting a comprehensive emergency plan should also include an inclement weather policy.

THE COVERING DOCTOR'S PRE-GAME CHECKLIST
•	Check the contents of your medical kit for essential first aid supplies.
•	Confirm current medical problems of the athletes and ensure needed medicine for diabetes and allergic attacks are available.
•	Ensure that all medical personnel are in place and know what to do in an emergency.
•	Check the safety of the player’s equipment or have an equipment manager do it.
•	Police the field or get a parent to do it, checking the playing surface’s smoothness, picking up glass and other objects.
•	Ensure that water and sports drinks are on hand to supplement what the players’ brought in their water bottles. Encourage athletes to drink frequently to avoid dehydration.
•	For outdoor competitions, locate shelter. Check the ambient temperature and humidity frequently. Establish lightning and “call the game” policies and communicate them to the referee.
•	Before play starts check the range, signal of cell phones to be used in emergencies. Use walkie-talkies for events like cross country meets or activities happening in locations out of the line of sight.
ORTHOPEDICS TODAY

Source: Letha Y. Griffin

For more information:

Griffin LY. Emergency preparedness: Things to do before the game starts. ICL#211. Presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 72nd Annual Meeting. Feb. 23-27, 2005. Washington.