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. 2017 Mar/Apr;9(2):181-184.
doi: 10.1177/1941738116686782. Epub 2017 Jan 27.

Sports-Related Emergency Preparedness in Oregon High Schools

Samuel T Johnson  1 , Marc F Norcross  1 , Viktor E Bovbjerg  1 , Mark A Hoffman  1 , Eunwook Chang  1 , Michael C Koester  2
Affiliations

Sports-Related Emergency Preparedness in Oregon High Schools

Samuel T Johnson et al. Sports Health. 2017 Mar/Apr.

Abstract

Background: Best practice recommendations for sports-related emergency preparation include implementation of venue-specific emergency action plans (EAPs), access to early defibrillation, and first responders-specifically coaches-trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. The objective was to determine whether high schools had implemented these 3 recommendations and whether schools with a certified athletic trainer (AT) were more likely to have done so.

Hypothesis: Schools with an AT were more likely to have implemented the recommendations.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Level of evidence: Level 4.

Methods: All Oregon School Activities Association member school athletic directors were invited to complete a survey on sports-related emergency preparedness and AT availability at their school. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to analyze the associations between emergency preparedness and AT availability.

Results: In total, 108 respondents (37% response rate) completed the survey. Exactly half reported having an AT available. Only 11% (95% CI, 6%-19%) of the schools had implemented all 3 recommendations, 29% (95% CI, 21%-39%) had implemented 2, 32% (95% CI, 24%-42%) had implemented 1, and 27% (95% CI, 19%-36%) had not implemented any of the recommendations. AT availability was associated with implementation of the recommendations (χ2 = 10.3, P = 0.02), and the proportion of schools with ATs increased with the number of recommendations implemented (χ2 = 9.3, P < 0.01). Schools with an AT were more likely to implement venue-specific EAPs (52% vs 24%, P < 0.01) and have an AED available for early defibrillation (69% vs 44%, P = 0.02) but not more likely to require coach training (33% vs 28%, P = 0.68).

Conclusions: Despite best practice recommendations, most schools were inadequately prepared for sports-related emergencies. Schools with an AT were more likely to implement some, but not all, of the recommendations. Policy changes may be needed to improve implementation.

Clinical relevance: Most Oregon high schools need to do more to prepare for sports-related emergencies. The results provide evidence for sports medicine professionals and administrators to inform policy changes that ensure the safety of athletes.

Keywords: athlete injury; prehospital emergency care; sudden cardiac arrest; sudden death.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no potential conflicts of interest in the development and publication of this article.

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