Team Physicians Critical to Athlete Care, Team Success

Team Physicians Critical to Athlete Care, Team Success
Revised consensus statement offers more extensive guidelines for physicians on the sideline

Leawood, Kan. – Athletes of all levels —from youth leagues to professional — benefit from the expert care offered by a team physician. According to the team physician consensus statement released today by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and five other professional organizations, including the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), the care of a team physician is a necessary component to providing the best possible medical treatment and care to any athlete.

The consensus statement, titled “Team Physician Consensus Statement 2013 Update,” updates recommendations originally published in 2000. The update upholds the high standards set by the original document and also provides guidance on new issues that have evolved in more recent years in the field. New in this document are sections guiding the practice of team physicians relating to ethical and medicolegal issues. Like the original version, the 2013 update outlines medical qualifications and education and medical administrative duties as well as responsibilities recommended for all team physicians.

AMSSM Past Presidents Cindy J. Chang, MD, and Margot Putukian, MD, represented AMSSM on the expert panel that produced the newest statement. While not officially representing AMSSM, AMSSM Founder Stan Herring, MD, who facilitates the panel, and members John Bergfeld, MD, and Ralph Franks, DO, also served on the panel.

“Having been involved as an author for this and several other TPCC documents, this particular document is very comprehensive, timely and provides guidelines for organizations and governing bodies regarding what it means to be a team physician,” said Dr. Putukian.

Since the original team physician consensus statement was issued, a series of supplementary documents have been published, making recommendations on specific issues related to a team physician’s practice. The supplementary documents address pertinent topics such as return-to-play decision, concussion (mild traumatic brain injury), injury and illness prevention, sideline preparedness, and psychological issues, among other important topics. All of the team physician consensus statements can be accessed on AMSSM’s website by clicking here.

Collaborating with the ACSM in producing the Team Physician Consensus Statements are the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine.

For a complete copy of the team physician consensus statements or to speak with a leading sports medicine expert on the topic, contact Jessica Torres-Sosa, AMSSM Communications Manager at (913) 327-1415 or by email at [email protected].

About the AMSSM: The AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of sports medicine physicians whose members are dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. Founded in 1991, the AMSSM now comprises more than 2,300 sports medicine physicians whose goal is to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting.

About the ACSM: The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine.

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