ACSM representatives Stanley Herring, M.D., FACSM; W. Ben Kibler, M.D., FACSM; Margot Putukian, M.D., FACSM; and Lance LeClere, M.D., organized and gathered a distinguished panel of team physicians for the 23rd and 24th annual Team Physician Consensus Conference (TPCC). The TPCC is a project-based alliance, with partners including the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. The group meets annually to produce a consensus statement, which is a blend of research evidence and expert consensus. The resulting documents serve as guidance and teaching tools for physicians working in the sports medicine field, regardless of geographical location or level of team or athlete.
In March, the TPCC released “Return-to-Sport / Return-to-Play and the Team Physician: A Team Physician Consensus Statement — 2023 Update.” The objective of the statement is to provide physicians who are responsible for the health care of teams with a decision process for determining when to return an injured or ill athlete to practice or competition. The statement covers the return to sport (RTS) and return to play (RTP) processes and decisions of returning an injured/ill athlete to exercise, strength and conditioning, sport-specific activity and full participation.
The statement was led by the ACSM Executive Committee representatives Stanley Herring, M.D., FACSM; Margot Putukian, M.D. FACSM; W. Ben Kibler, M.D., FACSM; and Lance LeClere, M.D., with additional panel experts Lori Boyajian-O’Neill, D.O.; Molly A. Day, M.D., A.T.C.; Rob Franks, D.O.; Peter Indelicato, M.D.; Jason Matuszak, M.D.; Timothy L. Miller, M.D.; Fran O’Connor, M.D., MPH; Sourav Poddar, M.D.; Steven J. Svoboda, M.D.; and Jason L. Zaremski, M.D.
The statement will publish in both Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise® (MSSE) and Current Sports Medicine Reports (CSMR). It is freely available now.
The TPCC has also released “Mass Participation and Tournament Event Management for the Team Physician: A Consensus Statement (2022 Update)” ahead of print in MSSE and CSMR, as an update from the 2004 statement. The focus of the initial 2004 statement included administrative components, medical staffing, equipment and environmental considerations for an event such as a marathon or other endurance event. Since the 2004 statement, providing medical care in this setting has evolved with a greater understanding for the importance of developing and practicing an emergency action plan (EAP), with components including identifying key stakeholders, chain of command, emergency facilities, equipment needs and other environmental or sport-specific considerations. Team physicians are increasingly involved as event physicians providing administrative support and medical care for tournaments that use the essential components of planning and medical care for mass participation events. Events are more prevalent, the number of participants has increased, and there is a wider variety of sports. Experience has highlighted the importance of developing a detailed, event-specific EAP considering pre-event, event and post-event management in all aspects of the event, including a plan for acute and life-threatening injuries and illnesses and a first aid plan for nonemergency injuries and illnesses.
The statement was led by Chair Stanley A. Herring, M.D., FACSM; W. Ben Kibler, M.D., FACSM; and Margot Putukian, M.D., FACSM, with additional panel experts Cheri Blauwet, M.D.; Lori Boyajian-O’Neill, D.O.; Joel Boyd, M.D.; Rob Franks, D.O.; Peter Indelicato, M.D.; Lance LeClere, M.D.; Catherine Logan, M.D.; Jason Matuszak, M.D.; Fran O’Connor, M.D.; William Roberts, M.D.; and Robert Sallis, M.D.