Sports Medicine: Just the Facts

Section 1

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

IN SPORTS MEDICINE

1 THE TEAM PHYSICIAN

Christopher Ranney, MD

Anthony I Beutler, MD

John H Wilckens, MD

WHAT IS A TEAM PHYSICIAN?

•Very little has been published about the duties and
responsibilities of a team physician and no formal
studies exist as to the qualifications and skills neces-
sary to be effective in these duties.

• The following consensus statement from the
  American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
  defines the unique role of a team physician:

The Team Physician must have unrestricted medical

license and be an MD or DO who is responsible for

treating and coordinating the medical care of the ath-

letic team members. The principal responsibility of the

team physician is to provide for the well-being of indi-

vidual athletes—enabling each to realize his or her full

potential. The team physician should possess special

proficiency in the care of musculoskeletal injuries and

medical conditions encountered in sports. The team

physician also must actively integrate medical expert-

ise with other healthcare providers, including medical

specialists, athletic trainers, and allied health profes-

sionals. The team physician must ultimately assume

responsibility within the team structure for making

medical decisions that affect the athlete’s safe partici-

pation. (Herring et al, 2000b)

• Doctors from many specialties serve in the role of team
  physician with primary care physicians comprising the
  majority. The most common fields of medicine with the

percentage of the total in parentheses is family practice

(25.5%), orthopedic surgery (16.2%), osteopathic med-

icine (10.9%), internal medicine (10.1%), general prac-

tice (6.3%), pediatrics (5.4%), emergency medicine

(4.9%), general urgery (4.5%), obstetrics/gynecology

(2.8%), cardiology (2.0%), and all others (11.5%)

(Melion, Walsh, Shelton, 1997).

• The team physician is part of a team of professionals
  that cares for the athletes and contributes to their suc-
  cess by maximizing training and competition prepara-
  tion. He or she also assists by accurately diagnosing
  ailments and promptly, yet completely, rehabilitating
  injuries to get athletes back to competition as quickly
  and safely as possible. In addition to expertise in the
  common medical conditions encountered in athletes,
  other necessary qualities include: flexibility and avail-
  ability, good communication skills, a desire to edu-
  cate, and an understanding of injury prevention
  principles (Herring et al, 2000b).

TIME REQUIREMENTS OF A TEAM PHYSICIAN

•A team physician must have an office schedule that

can accommodate athletes with urgent and time sensi-

tive medical needs.

• Most team physicians have designated training room
  time each week, at least one to two evenings, where
  they can evaluate new and follow-up existing injuries
  of team members. This is an especially important set-
  ting in which to communicate with the trainer on the
  rehabilitation progress of athletes’ injuries (Herring
  et al, 2001). An athlete’s behavior and responses can
  vary widely depending on the familiarity of the envi-
  ronment; hence, training rooms should ideally be
  held in the athlete’s “native environment,” at a loca-
  tion convenient to athletes and close to practice or
  training facilities.

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