Prevention and care on athletic injuries

Athletic trainer

Enter service or treatment to someone who is injured—avoid injuries all together

When did NATA reappear?

1950

Professional organizations to athletic trainers

NAT, CAATE, BOC, AHCT

Why is athletic trainers considered a team endeavor?

Because communication has to happen between directors, coaches, ATs, and physicians

College vs high school sports medicine team

Adolescents: focused on organized competition, sociological issues, skeletal immaturity

Aging: physiological and performance capability changes

Evidence-based practice

Use of research to help with decisions about patients

Qualification of an athletic trainers

Masters degree, BOC exam, state license.

Employment opputnities for athletic trainers

Sports medicine clinics, rodeos, performing arts, law enforcement, military

Criteria for ahtletic trainers

Masters degree with academic and clinical training and passing the BOC exam

CAATE

Committee for accentuation of athletic training education—may affect regulatory legislation in a positive way—officially recognized by CHEA in 2014

5 domains of AT

Injury illness prevention and wellness promotion, examination, assessment and diagnosis: immediate and emergency care: therapeutic intervention: healthcare administration and professional responsibility

States that regulate AT practice

All except California

State regulation steps

1. Licensure

2. Certification

3. Registration

4. No regulation

Licensure

Full legal control and protection (most restrictive)

Certification

Recognition but less restrictive

Registration

Just listed, least restrictive

No regulation

California only

Tort

Harm, done to another for which law comes into play

Negligence

Type of tort—failure to do what a reasonably careful and prudent person would have done

Malfeasance

Anything done illegally or immorally

Liability

State of being legally responsible for harm one causes to another person

Duty of care

Requires a person to conform to a a standard of conduct for protection of others against unreasonable risks

Breach of duty

Violation of established duty, failure to conform to standard, interfere from circumstantial evidence

Actual or proximate causation

Reasonably close casual connection between conduct and resulting in injury

Damage

Actual loses-considered compensatory

Misfeasance

Act of commission in lawful conduct is improperly performed

Unintentional tort

No intent to harm, but rather a failure to exercise reasonable care

Intentional tort

Plaintiff feels the injury was caused an intent to harm

4 element of negligence

Duty of care, breach of duty, causation, damage

Negligence actions taken by coaches:

Failure to provide adequate supervision, competent personal, appropriate trainings instruction, proper use of safe equipment and failure to warn latent dangers, provide competent medical care, ensure an athlete is really to participate

Defenses of negligence

No negligence; contributory negligence, comparative negligence, assumption at risk, statue of limitations, immunity, Good Samaritan law

Assumption of risk

Plaintiff has voluntarily consented to assume responsibility for injury

Reducing risk of litigation

Clear contacts, through and accurate records, clear communication

Purpose of EAP

Ensures appropriate initial first aid management f an injury

EAP

Written document that outlines the process, personnel and equipment necessary for response to emergencies

Included in EAP

All personnel, all possible scenarios, situations, flexible and advised annually, rehearsed

Components of EAP

Healthcare team, administrators, athletic staff

Best practices for EAP

No activity occur until familiar, post specific EAP, efficient communication, post location of emergency equipment, AEDs in easy location, training, determine roles

Emergency care planning

Should be CPR and AED trained, training done by proragnizations, renew training, periodic “mock” drills

Health maintenance organization

Covers 100% of costs for injury care and dictates where one receives care

Preferred providers organization

Provides discounts for health care as well as li its where treatment comes form

Third party administrators

Primary mechanisms of payment for medical services in the US

Medicare

Federal health insurance program, for people with low incomes and limited resources (hospital and physician portion)

Medicaid

Health insurance program for people with low incomes and limited resources

Work hardening

Treatment for 8 hours/day and 5 days/week

Work conditioning

Treatment for 3 hours/day and 3 days/week

Strategic plan for AT

Determines why there is a program, what goals, decisions of administrators, develop written mission

Policy

Clear written statements of basic rules

Procedures

Describes the process

Common issues for AT

Who will be rendered, who else can be served medically and educational;y and what are legalities, outside group and community organizations with legalities again being an issue

Expendable supplies

Cannot be reused—first aid and injury prevention supplies

Non-expendable supplies

Reusable supplies: wraps and scissors

Equipment under budgetary concerns

Capital: remain in ahtletic, training facility (ice machines and tables)

Non-consumable capital: crutches, coolers and first aid kits

Risk management plan

Security issues, fire safety, electrical and equipment safety, EAP

Basic considerations of AT facility

Based on number of athletes, teams and various need of program—size and location

Records an AT must maintain

Medical and injury records

HIPAA

Guarantees athlete access to information and control can’t talk about residents

HIPAA authorization

Description of information to be disclosed, identification of parties authorized to provide and make use of PHI, description of each purpose of the use or disclosure, expiration date or event, individuals signature, description of authority to act for individual if signed by personal representative

FERPA

Law protection privacy of student education rights

Storage of medical records

Filed in at room-online password protected

Data analysis

Injury exposure rates, risk factors, epidemiological, studies may assess various areas

Accident insurance

Protects against financial loss from medical and hospital bills

Catastrophic insurance

Provide additional coverage to deal with lifetime extensive care

Professional liability insurance

Covers against claims of nenece on pat of individuals

Insurance billing

File claims correctly, collect insurance at start of academic year, letters sent home to explain coverage available and necessary procedures, standard forms