Ethical Issues in Sports
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Original Editor - Wanda van Niekerk
Top Contributors - Wanda van Niekerk, Kim Jackson and Tarina van der Stockt
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]
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Devitt BM. Fundamental Ethical Principles in Sports Medicine. Clin Sports Med. 2016 Apr;35(2):195-204.
- ↑ Johnson R. The unique ethics of sports medicine. Clin Sports Med. 2004;23(2):175-82.
- ↑ Bernstein J, Perlis C, Bartolozzi AR. Ethics in Sports Medicine. Clin Orthop Rel Res. 2000;(378): 50-60.
- ↑ 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
