Mar 24, 2016Solutions to Athlete Safety
In an effort to reduce student-athlete fatalities at the high school level, athletic trainers and physicians at the second Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Conference came up with four steps high schools should consider to increase student-athlete safety. As reported by USA Today, they include:
- Create an emergency action plan in collaboration with coaches, athletic trainers, other medical professionals and local and campus safety officials.
- Have athletic trainers on staff: athletic trainers play a critical role in preventing sudden death in sport such as prevention, diagnosis, emergency care and treatment.
- Acquire and place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on school campuses and at sporting facilities for immediate access in the case of a cardiac emergency.
- Ensure that athletes acclimatize progressively to training demands and environmental conditions for optimal safety. Conditioning should be phased in gradually: the first seven to 10 days of any new cycle should be considered transitional. Exercise and conditioning should not be used as punishment.
