SPORTS FIRST AID

INTRODUCTION Historically the provision of first aid at sports events in the UK has been poor. The Taylor Report following the Hillsborough disaster, and the subsequent publication of specific guidelines, has set a standard for the provision of first aid for spectators, but no such standards yet exist for athletes. Sports medicine is now a recognised medical speciality and while at international and elite club level adequate medical cover is now the norm, this advance is taking time to filter down to lower level clubs and schools. The author fears that the situation will only change following legal challenge. Now is the time for those involved in sport to take the initiative and change the culture of 'cheap' first aid cover before the courts force it.

WHY SPORTS FIRST AID?

By Dr Jane Dunbar

Whether this is a personal view or a warning this article will explore the need for sports-specific first aid rather than generic first aid knowledge.

MEDICAL COVER AT SPORTS EVENTS The definition of a sports event is anywhere that there is an organised group participating in sporting activity, this could be the division 2 football team, kids learning to play rugby in the park or a school cross country run.

In the deep dark past which is sadly not that long ago, there was generally no medical cover at sports events and there was, as is still often the case today, only doctor cover at international events. Often these doctors may have been medical but with no particular training in immediate care or sports medicine.

A few sports events were lucky enough to have chartered physiotherapists, but many events were covered by personnel who simply called themselves physios (before the title became protected) and without the specialist knowledge expected of a physio.

If the crowd was lucky it was covered by voluntary first aiders but these had little back up at the venue by the ambulance service or other medical professionals.

In the past at the lower levels of club, and at school sports, there was no first aid or medical cover except volunteers with a bit of first aid knowledge which was financially very cheap and a lot better than nothing but now sports medicine doctors, sports

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physiotherapists and sports therapists are specifically trained to take care of athletes at all levels of sporting activity.

So can British sport continue with this cheap voluntary first aid cover? I would like to argue that this is no longer economic in the long run - ask the lawyers of today and they would probably agree, as would any athletes whose careers may have ended up finishing before they’ve even started because of inadequate initial sports medical cover.

PROGRESS IN SPORTS MEDICINE FOR DOCTORS Sports medicine has moved on in recent years and since 2006 sport and exercise medicine has been recognised as a specific speciality in the same way as other specialities such as surgery, anaesthetics, accident and emergency or radiology. A full six year specialist post graduate training programme is now in place in the UK and there were more than 170 doctors awarded full Fellowship of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (FFSEM) in September 2007.

Separate from sports medicine (that looks after the athletes), crowd doctor training is now organised with Advanced Trauma and Life Support qualifications and Major Incident Medical Management Training for care of spectators.

Major international sports events are now covered by specialist trained sport and exercise medicine doctors for the athletes and specialist crowd doctors for spectators, with back up from professional paramedic cover. So at higher levels the need for speciality doctor cover has at last been recognised as necessary.

Chartered physiotherapists are specialising in a similar route as 7