BRIEF REPORT
Namita Bhardwaj, MD, MS, MPH; Grant S. Pierre, MD; Alexandra P. Halloran, DO; Taylor C. Alexander, MD, MBA; Stacy H. Leung, MD, MBA; Yu Lu, PhD; Kendall M. Campbell, MD
Corresponding Author: Namita Bhardwaj, MD, MS, MPH; Department of Family Medicine; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation -The University of Texas Medical Branch.
Email: nabhardw@utmb.edu
DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2023.230098R1
Keywords: Adolescence, Athletes, Community Medicine, Exercise, Physical Examination, Screening, Sports Medicine, Students
Dates: Submitted: 03-14-2023; Revised: 07-12-2023; Accepted: 07-24-2023
AHEAD OF PRINT: |HTML| |PDF| FINAL PUBLICATION: |HTML| |PDF|
PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of the documentation of athlete failure of preparticipation sports physicals.
METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study that involved review of preparticipation examination physical form documentation from multiple clinicians for all student athletes who participated in athletics during the 2018-2019 academic year at Galveston Independent School District (GISD). We collected the reasons for failure to pass the preparticipation physical exam.
RESULTS: Of the approximately 800 student athlete forms reviewed, 183 forms indicated individual athletes failed the visual acuity or cardiovascular portions of the preparticipation physical exam.
DISCUSSION: Athlete failures of the preparticipation physical exam may cause delays in sports participation, and time and monetary costs to students and their parents. Inconsistences in guidelines used to clear athletes as well as variation in form completion impacts whether athletes reportedly failed or passed the exam. Mass participation screening becomes a safety net for communities for athletes who may not have primary care providers to encourage follow up with a regular clinician for previously undiagnosed medical issues and standardizing guideline use and form completion across clinicians who do these exams may improve numbers of athletes who are cleared to play sports.
CONCLUSION: Focusing on preventable and addressable preparticipation exam failures may help clinicians who perform these exams, while also establishing a safety net for previously undiagnosed medical conditions.
IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTION SUMMARY STATEMENT: Instituting yearly vision checks, addressing cardiovascular issues, and encouraging yearly follow up with primary care clinicians can more readily address physical and mental health issues and will provide more comprehensive care to student athletes.