Can prolong the length of time required for rehabilitation or cause life-
Mistakes in initial injury management
threatening situations to arise.
All fitness professionals, coaches, and others in related areas should be
CPR, AED, and first aid certification
certified to help care for an athlete more efficiently in emergency situatio
Separate plans should be developed for each facility outlining personne
Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
roles, necessary equipment, and AED location.
Equipment and helmet removal policies Establish procedures for the removal of equipment and helmets.
Access to 911 should be ensured, and if in a remote area, a landline shou
Availability of phones
nearby.
Individual calling EMS must relay type of emergency, suspected injury,
Community based care
present condition, current assistance, and location of emergency.
Keys to gates/locks Must be easily accessible.
When an athlete is a minor, ATC should try to obtain consent from the pa
Parent Notification
prior to emergency treatment.
Indicates parent is aware of the situation and what ATC wants to do rega
Consent
treatment.
, Enacted when consent is unobtainable, provided in PPE at the start of th
Predetermined wishes of parent
school year.
With no informed consent, consent is implied on the part of the athlete t
Informed consent
save the athlete's life.
Appropriate acute care cannot be provided without a systematic assessm
Principles of Assessment
occurring on the playing field.
Determine nature of injury and provide information regarding direction o
On-field assessment
treatment.
Primary Survey Performed initially to establish presence of life-threatening conditions.
Used to identify additional problems in other parts of the body not
Secondary Survey
necessarily associated with the injury.
Includes heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, temperature, skin color,
Vital signs
movement, pain, and consciousness.
Include injuries requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and profu
Life threatening injuries
bleeding.
The Unconscious Athlete Call EMS immediately and assume neck or spine injury.
Do not remove helmet unless neck injury is ruled out; remove facemask o
Spinal Precautions
if CPR is needed.