Ethical Issues in Sports: Difference between revisions

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* Pressure to return to play from coach, parent, athlete or administration
* Pressure to return to play from coach, parent, athlete or administration
In sports medicine, conflicts of interest often arise in two areas; confidentiality and clinical decision making.<ref name=":2">Tucker AM. Conflicts of Interest in Sports Medicine. Clin Sports Med. 2016 Apr;35(2):217-26.</ref> Often confidentiality is challenged by the responsibilities of the health care professional to both the athlete as well as to the team.<ref name=":2" /> Clinical decision making, normally associated with an athlete's long-term health and well-being, can be complicated by short-term interests leaning towards the pursuit of winning.<ref name=":2" />
In sports medicine, conflicts of interest often arise in two areas; confidentiality and clinical decision making.<ref name=":2">Tucker AM. Conflicts of Interest in Sports Medicine. Clin Sports Med. 2016 Apr;35(2):217-26.</ref> Often confidentiality is challenged by the responsibilities of the health care professional to both the athlete as well as to the team.<ref name=":2" /> Clinical decision making, normally associated with an athlete's long-term health and well-being, can be complicated by short-term interests leaning towards the pursuit of winning.<ref name=":2" />
Most patients want to reduce their pain/suffering and live a health life. Athletes on the other hand also have as a priority the drive to perform at the highest level possible. A big role of the sports health care professional is to support this athletic achievement (ref). In the world of professional sports and even in lower levels of sport these days, the dynamics of competitive sport can affect medical decision making. Most of the time these factors are not normally encountered in standard practices.
Health care professionals in sport should be aware of the various potential influences that can affect ethical medical decision making. Pressure can come from various sources that can influenced the health care professional and the athlete. This pressure can come from the athlete, the coaching staff, management and even the health care professionals themselves. (ref)
Some examples of sources of pressure that a team clinician may come under:
* Allowing an athlete to play
** pressure from the athlete is usually the greatest potential source of pressure
** athletes are extremely motivated people and may prefer to risk their health for the sake of taking part and having success
*** this is usually motivated by factors such as pride, peer pressure, institutional pressures and financial considerations. (ref)
** coaches, team mates, parents, team management can put the clinician under pressure in several ways:
*** the coach will put pressure on the athlete, who will in turn put pressure on the clinician


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Revision as of 10:38, 18 September 2019

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Introduction[edit | edit source]

In it's most simple form, ethics is the study of what makes a particular action in a particular situation the right thing to do.[1] In the world of sports medicine there are unique challenges to the practice of ethics by health care providers due to the unusual clinical environment of taking care of athletes in team scenarios with winning being the primary goal.[2] The traditional health care provider-patient relationship is often replaced with the healthcare provider-patient-team triad and as such creates a scenario in which a team's priority can be in conflict with a health care provider's obligation to the athlete's well-being.[3] As a result many of the ethical norms that regulate clinical practice, such as autonomy and confidentiality, are not easily translated to sports medicine.[1]

Health care providers in sports, such as doctors, physios, psychologists are constantly under pressure to keep athletes on the field of play and to improve performance as well as allow the athlete to return to play in the shortest possible amount of time. This pressure usually comes from team management, such as coaches, trainers, agents; the athletes themselves or even parents in the case of younger athletes. This constant pressure may compel health care providers to rather focus on the short-term solutions to injury rather than consider the long-term effects of such solutions and decisions.[4] In sports medicine a wide variety of ethical dilemmas may be found and unfortunately there are no unique right answers for many of these situations.[1] Knowledge of the principles and exposure to the practice of ethics are helpful in the decision-making process.

Ethical Problems in Sports Medicine[edit | edit source]

The unique and dynamic relationship between the various stakeholders associated with sports franchises and even local clubs or school teams and athletes are one of the biggest causes of the many ethical issues that are encountered in the care of athletes.[5] The stakeholders can include:[5]

  • Health care professionals (doctor, physiotherapist, athletic trainer, etc)
  • The athletes themselves
  • Team management (coaches, general manager)
  • Team owner (in professional sport)
  • Other stakeholders such as agents, family (parents), the media and the sports fans

Conflicts of Interest[edit | edit source]

With this multitude of stakeholders involved, each with their own different interests and goals, health care professionals are often conflicted about the proper course of treatment and rehabilitation for an injured athlete.[5]

Types of ethical issues experienced by health care professionals working in sports include:[6]

  • Interdisciplinary conflicts such as miscommunication about roles
  • Conflict of interest due to divided loyalties
  • Conflicts in acting in the athlete's best interest
  • Pressure to return to play from coach, parent, athlete or administration

In sports medicine, conflicts of interest often arise in two areas; confidentiality and clinical decision making.[7] Often confidentiality is challenged by the responsibilities of the health care professional to both the athlete as well as to the team.[7] Clinical decision making, normally associated with an athlete's long-term health and well-being, can be complicated by short-term interests leaning towards the pursuit of winning.[7]

Most patients want to reduce their pain/suffering and live a health life. Athletes on the other hand also have as a priority the drive to perform at the highest level possible. A big role of the sports health care professional is to support this athletic achievement (ref). In the world of professional sports and even in lower levels of sport these days, the dynamics of competitive sport can affect medical decision making. Most of the time these factors are not normally encountered in standard practices.

Health care professionals in sport should be aware of the various potential influences that can affect ethical medical decision making. Pressure can come from various sources that can influenced the health care professional and the athlete. This pressure can come from the athlete, the coaching staff, management and even the health care professionals themselves. (ref)

Some examples of sources of pressure that a team clinician may come under:

  • Allowing an athlete to play
    • pressure from the athlete is usually the greatest potential source of pressure
    • athletes are extremely motivated people and may prefer to risk their health for the sake of taking part and having success
      • this is usually motivated by factors such as pride, peer pressure, institutional pressures and financial considerations. (ref)
    • coaches, team mates, parents, team management can put the clinician under pressure in several ways:
      • the coach will put pressure on the athlete, who will in turn put pressure on the clinician

Sub Heading 3[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

  • bulleted list
  • x

or

  1. numbered list
  2. x

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Devitt BM. Fundamental Ethical Principles in Sports Medicine. Clin Sports Med. 2016 Apr;35(2):195-204.
  2. Johnson R. The unique ethics of sports medicine. Clin Sports Med. 2004;23(2):175-82.
  3. Bernstein J, Perlis C, Bartolozzi AR. Ethics in Sports Medicine. Clin Orthop Rel Res. 2000;(378): 50-60.
  4. Devitt BM, and McCarthy C.: ‘I am in blood Stepp'd in so far…’: ethical dilemmas and the sports team doctor. Br J Sports Med 2010; 44: pp. 175-178
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Greenfield BH, West CR. Ethical issues in sports medicine: a review and justification for ethical decision making and reasoning. Sports Health. 2012 Nov;4(6):475-9.
  6. Swisher LL, Nyland J, Klossner D, Beckstead J. Ethical issues in athletic training: a foundational descriptive investigation. Athletic Ther Today. 2009;14(2):3-9.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Tucker AM. Conflicts of Interest in Sports Medicine. Clin Sports Med. 2016 Apr;35(2):217-26.