A national position statement on developing and implementing emergency action plans in sports by a West Virginia University athletic training researcher sets in motion new priorities for responding to catastrophic injuries. The recommendations apply to sports at all levels, from youth to high school and college and professional leagues.
“The ultimate goal of this position statement is to reduce unnecessary deaths from sports participation. We want this document to save more lives,” said Samantha Scarneo-Miller, assistant professor and director of the Master of Science in Athletic Training program at the WVU College of Medicine and senior author of the position statement.
The National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) tasked Scarneo-Miller with updating the organization’s 22-year-old document. The position statement is being revised to recommend the appointment of an emergency action plan coordinator to collaborate with other athletic staff, the enhancement of venue-specific plans to include variables for each sport, and comprehensive documentation of incidents.
The leading causes of catastrophic injuries in sports are cardiac arrest, exertional heat stroke, head trauma, and cervical spine injuries.
Posted on the National Athletic Trainers Association athletic training magazine, The position statement provides a framework for developing and implementing an emergency action plan. It includes recommendations for on-site emergency preparedness and response by healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to catastrophic or potentially catastrophic injuries in a prehospital setting.
The position statement includes several updates and recommendations. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, it offers general guidelines that teams can adapt to their specific environments and best use of resources.
These include the integration of a pre-event medical briefing, a briefing previously referred to as a “medical time-out” that will occur before a competition and provide details on emergency procedures and signals, and equipment locations.
Expanding on previous guidelines that focus on site-specific emergency action plans, the new document suggests incorporating the varying needs of various sports in relation to the skills of assigned personnel and any changes to facilities, such as new construction.
“Having a plan just for facilities is no longer enough,” Scarneo-Miller said. “A facility could be used by different teams with different personnel. We need a sport- and location-specific emergency action plan because coaches and staff have their own unique skills and can contribute to the activation of the plan.”
The importance of designating an emergency action plan coordinator is also emphasized, suggesting that the task be shifted from solely sports coaches to include collaboration with all sports staff. The result would result in a plan that is more effective in its development and implementation.
“The position statement emphasizes the importance of having an EAP coordinator who is supported by an interdisciplinary health care team,” Scarneo-Miller said. “The athletic trainer might be the one coordinating the plan, but you have coaches, administrators, physicians and athletes who need to be involved in reviewing and implementing the plan. We’re really trying to emphasize to athletic trainers that they have a lot of other resources that they may not be utilizing.”
The position statement’s systematic approach focuses on the evolution of medical science and was formulated with input from professionals in a variety of fields, including sports medicine physicians and athletic trainers from multiple settings. It is the first position statement developed under NATA’s new procedures, emphasizing an objective approach to author team selection, considering diversity of gender, race, location, specialty, and setting.
“Previously, physicians have not been authors of position statements, as the documents have largely focused on the most recent research for physicians to use,” Scarneo-Miller said. “But NATA is pushing hard to ensure that physicians’ voices are heard when developing these recommendations, as they are the ones who will translate this document into clinical practice.”
Scarneo-Miller highlighted the importance of introducing this new position statement. “We invite stakeholders and partners to adopt these essential recommendations and work together to create a culture of preparedness and safety that protects and benefits our athletes.”
Scarneo-Miller’s position statement presentation was part of NATA’s 75th Clinical Symposium and AT Expo June 25-28 in New Orleans.