Sports Medicine Staffing Across National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, II, and III Schools: Evidence for the Medical Model.

CONTEXT: The ratio of clinicians to patients has been associated with health outcomes in many medical contexts but has not been explored in collegiate sports medicine. The relationship between administrative and financial oversight models and staffing is also unknown. OBJECTIVE: To (1) evaluate staffing patterns in National Collegiate Athletic Association sports medicine programs and (2) investigate whether staffing was associated with the division of competition, Power 5 conference status, administrative reporting structure (medical or athletic department), or financial structure (medical or athletic department). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Collegiate sports medicine programs. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Representatives of 325 universities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): A telephone survey was conducted during June and July 2015. Participants were asked questions regarding the presence and full-time equivalence of the health care providers on their sports medicine staff. The number of athletes per athletic trainer was determined. RESULTS: Responding sports medicine programs had 0.5 to 20 full-time equivalent staff athletic trainers (median = 4). Staff athletic trainers at participating schools cared for 21 to 525 athletes per clinician (median = 100). Both administrative and financial oversight from a medical department versus the athletics department was associated with improved staffing across multiple metrics. Staffing levels were associated with the division of competition; athletic trainers at Division I schools cared for fewer athletes than athletic trainers at Division II or III schools, on average. The support of graduate assistant and certified intern athletic trainers varied across the sample as did the contributions of nonphysician, nonathletic trainer health care providers. CONCLUSIONS: In many health care settings, clinician : patient ratios are associated with patient health outcomes. We found systematic variations in clinician : patient ratios across National Collegiate Athletic Association divisions of competition and across medical versus athletics organizational models, raising the possibility that athletes' health outcomes vary across these contexts. Future researchers should evaluate the relationships between clinician : patient ratios and athletes' access to care, care provision, health care costs, health outcomes, and clinician job satisfaction.

Sports Medicine Staffing Patterns and Incidence of Injury in Collegiate Men's Ice Hockey.

CONTEXT: The relative availability of clinicians as well as the types and training of health care providers have been associated with morbidity and mortality in non-athletic health care settings. Whether staffing variations are associated with injury incidence in collegiate athletes is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the institutional ratio of athletes to athletic trainers (patient load) or the ratio of staff to nonstaff (graduate assistant and certified intern) athletic trainers or both is associated with the incidence of injuries sustained by male ice hockey athletes at the school. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. SETTING: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's ice hockey teams. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Collegiate men's ice hockey athletes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The NCAA Injury Surveillance Program collected data from collegiate men's ice hockey athletes. Staffing patterns were obtained through telephone interviews. Injury counts, injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures, and injury rate ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated and compared between the following groups: (1) schools with high (versus low) patient load and (2) schools with high (versus low) ratio of staff to nonstaff (graduate assistant and certified intern) athletic trainers. RESULTS: Both the patient load and relative number of staff athletic trainers were associated with variations in the incidences and types of diagnosed injuries in male ice hockey players. Specifically, fewer injuries were diagnosed by clinicians at institutions with high patient loads. The rates of injury overall and non-time-loss injuries were lower in the high patient-load group. Time-loss injury rates, severe injury rates, concussion rates, and overall rates of injury during competition were greater in the group with a higher proportion of staff athletic trainers, whereas non-time-loss injury rates were lower. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of collegiate men's ice hockey players, athlete health outcomes were directly related to the number and types of clinicians available. Future researchers should evaluate whether this finding extends beyond men's ice hockey.

Consensus Recommendations on the Prehospital Care of the Injured Athlete With a Suspected Catastrophic Cervical Spine Injury.

INTRODUCTION: Sports participation is among the leading causes of catastrophic cervical spine injury (CSI) in the United States. Appropriate prehospital care for athletes with suspected CSIs should be available at all levels of sport. The goal of this project was to develop a set of best-practice recommendations appropriate for athletic trainers, emergency responders, sports medicine and emergency physicians, and others engaged in caring for athletes with suspected CSIs. METHODS: A consensus-driven approach (RAND/UCLA method) in combination with a systematic review of the available literature was used to identify key research questions and develop conclusions and recommendations on the prehospital care of the spine-injured athlete. A diverse panel of experts, including members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Sports Institute at UW Medicine participated in 4 Delphi rounds and a 2-day nominal group technique meeting. The systematic review involved 2 independent reviewers and 4 rounds of blinded review. RESULTS: The Delphi process identified 8 key questions to be answered by the systematic review. The systematic review comprised 1544 studies, 49 of which were included in the final full-text review. Using the results of the systematic review as a shared evidence base, the nominal group technique meeting created and refined conclusions and recommendations until consensus was achieved. CONCLUSIONS: These conclusions and recommendations represent a pragmatic approach, balancing expert experiences and the available scientific evidence.

Concussions in NCAA Varsity Football Athletes: A Qualitative Investigation of Player Perception and Return to Sport.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to understand the experiences and perspectives of varsity football athletes on return to play following a concussion injury. METHODS: Two experienced interviewers conducted qualitative, semistructured interviews of college-level football players who had sustained at least one concussion during their varsity careers. RESULTS: Twenty varsity football players who averaged 2.3 concussions each (range, 1-5) were interviewed regarding peer pressure, the culture of football, and player awareness as factors affecting return to sport following a concussion. Less common secondary factors included risk management, severity and timing of the injury, and team support. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological stressors, the culture of football, and increased awareness were the most influential factors affecting collegiate football players' deciding to return to sport following a concussion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Evaluation of Shoulder-Stabilizing Braces: Can We Prevent Shoulder Labrum Injury in Collegiate Offensive Linemen?

BACKGROUND: Shoulder injuries remain one of the most common injuries among collegiate football athletes. Offensive linemen in particular are prone to posterior labral pathology. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of shoulder bracing in collegiate offensive linemen with respect to injury prevention, severity, and lost playing time. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Offensive linemen at a single collegiate institution wore bilateral shoulder-stabilizing braces for every contact practice and game beginning in the spring of 2013. Between spring of 2007 and fall of 2012, offensive linemen did not wear any shoulder braces. Player injury data were collected for all contact practices and games throughout these time periods to highlight differences with brace use. RESULTS: Forty-five offensive linemen (90 shoulders) participated in spring and fall college football seasons between 2007 and 2015. There were 145 complete offensive linemen seasons over the course of the study. Offensive linemen not wearing shoulder braces completed 87 seasons; offensive linemen wearing shoulder braces completed 58 seasons. Posterior labral tear injury rates were calculated for players who wore the shoulder braces (0.71 per 1000 athlete-exposures) compared with shoulders of players who did not wear the braces (1.90 per 1000 athlete-exposures). The risk ratio was 0.46 (95% CI, 0.16-1.30; P = .14). Mean time (contact practices and games) missed due to injury was significant, favoring less time missed by players who used braces (8.7 vs 36.60 contact practices and games missed due to injury; P = .0019). No significant difference in shoulder labral tears requiring surgery was found for brace use compared with no brace use. CONCLUSION: Shoulder-stabilizing braces were shown not to prevent posterior labral tears among collegiate offensive lineman, although they were associated with less time lost to injury. The results of this study have clinical significance, indicating that wearing a shoulder brace provides a protective factor for offensive linemen.