When 'just doing it' is not enough: Assessing the fidelity of player performance of an injury prevention exercise program
- Authors: Fortington, Lauren , Donaldson, Alex , Lathlean, Tim , Young, Warren , Gabbe, Belinda , Lloyd, David , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 18, no. 3 (May 2014 2014), p.272-277
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Objectives: To obtain benefits from sports injury prevention programs, players are instructed to perform the exercises as prescribed. We developed an observational checklist to measure the quality of exercise performance by players participating in FootyFirst, a coach-led, exercise-based, lower-limb injury prevention program in community Australian Football (AF). Design: Observational. Methods: The essential performance criteria for each FootyFirst exercise were described in terms of the technique, volume and intensity required to perform each exercise. An observational checklist was developed to evaluate each criterion through direct visual observation of players at training. The checklist was trialled by two independent raters who observed the same 70 players completing the exercises at eight clubs. Agreement between observers was assessed by Kappa-statistics. Exercise fidelity was defined as the proportion of observed players who performed all aspects of their exercises correctly. Results: The raters agreed on 61/70 observations (87%) (Kappa = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.55; 0.89). Of the observations with agreed ratings, 41 (67%) players were judged as performing the exercises as prescribed. Conclusions: The observational checklist demonstrated high inter-rater reliability. Many players observed did not perform the exercises as prescribed, raising concern as to whether they would be receiving anticipated program benefits. Where quality of exercise performance is important, evaluation and reporting of program fidelity should include direct observations of participants.
We have the programme, what next? Planning the implementation of an injury prevention programme
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Lloyd, David , Gabbe, Belinda , Cook, Jill , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Prevention Vol. 23, no. 4 (2016), p. 273-280
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
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- Description: BACKGROUND AND AIM: The impact of any injury prevention programme is a function of the programme and its implementation. However, real world implementation of injury prevention programmes is challenging. Lower limb injuries (LLIs) are common in community Australian football (community-AF) and it is likely that many could be prevented by implementing exercise-based warm-up programmes for players. This paper describes a systematic, evidence-informed approach used to develop the implementation plan for a LLI prevention programme in community-AF in Victoria, Australia. METHODS: An ecological approach, using Step 5 of the Intervention Mapping health promotion programme planning protocol, was taken. RESULTS: An implementation advisory group was established to ensure the implementation plan and associated strategies were relevant to the local context. Coaches were identified as the primary programme adopters and implementers within an ecological system including players, other coaches, first-aid providers, and club and league administrators. Social Cognitive Theory was used to identify likely determinants of programme reach, adoption and implementation among coaches (eg, knowledge, beliefs, skills and environment). Diffusion of Innovations theory, the Implementation Drivers framework and available research evidence were used to identify potential implementation strategies including the use of multiple communication channels, programme resources, coach education and mentoring. CONCLUSIONS: A strategic evidence-informed approach to implementing interventions will help maximise their population impact. The approach to implementation planning described in this study relied on an effective researcher-practitioner partnership and active engagement of stakeholders. The identified implementation strategies were informed by theory, evidence and an in-depth understanding of the implementation context.
Tracking injuries in community sport
- Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Finch, Caroline , Donaldson, Alex , Gabbe, Belinda
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport Health Vol. 30, no. 3 (2012), p. 42-43
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Hospital data tells us there is a high frequency of injuries in many community sports, including Australian football, rugby and soccer (Finch et al., 2007, Cassell et al., 2012). While this data provides a useful snapshot of the most severe injuries requiring hospitalisation, they do not reflect the full extent of the injury problem in community sport. This is because the majority of sports injuries are either treated by GPs and allied health professionals outside of the hospital setting, by sports trainers at the scene of the injury, or by the athletes themselves (Finch et al., 1999).
Towards a national sports safety strategy: Addressing facilitators and barriers towards safety guideline uptake
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Gabbe, Belinda , Lloyd, David , Cook, Jill , Young, Warren , Nicholson, Matthew , Seward, Hugh , Donaldson, Alex , Doyle, Tim
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Prevention Vol. 17, no. 3 (2011), p. 1-10
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Background: Limited information exists about how best to conduct intervention implementation studies in community sport settings. Research should be directed towards understanding the context within which evidence-based injury prevention interventions are to be implemented, while continuing to build the evidencebase for the effectiveness of sports injury interventions. Objectives: To identify factors that influence the translation of evidence-based injury prevention interventions into practice in community sport, and to provide specific evidence for the effectiveness of an evidence-based exercise training programme for lower limb injury prevention in community Australian football. Setting: Community-level Australian football clubs, teams and players. Methods: An exercise-based lower limb injury prevention programme will be developed and evaluated in terms of the implementation context, infrastructure and resources needed for its effective translation into community sport. Analysis of the community sports safety policy context will be undertaken to understand the barriers and facilitators to policy development and uptake. A randomised group-clustered ecological study will be conducted to compare the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance (RE-AIM) of the intervention over 2 years. Outcome Measures: The primary outcome will be evidence-based prevention guidelines that are fully supported by a comprehensively evaluated dissemination plan. The plan will detail the support structures and add-ons necessary to ensure sustainability and subsequent national implementation. Research outcomes will include new knowledge about how sports safety policy is set, how consensus is reached among sports safety experts in the community setting and how evidence-based safety guidelines are best developed, packaged and disseminated to community sport.
The Trauma Registry as a statewide quality improvement tool
- Authors: Cameron, Peter , Gabbe, Belinda , McNeil, John , Finch, Caroline , Smith, Karen , Cooper, James , Judson, Rodney , Kossmann, Thomas
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Journal of Trauma Vol. 59, no. 6 (2005), p. 1469-1476
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Background: Trauma registries have been developed to describe the pattern of trauma and trauma workload, provide data for research, and to demonstrate changes in patient outcomes. Quality improvement using trauma registries at a systemwide level has been difficult to achieve. In Victoria, Australia, a statewide trauma system and trauma registry has been established to monitor and feedback the process of management and outcomes of major trauma patients across all healthcare providers. Methods: The development and implementation of the Victorian State Trauma Registry (VSTR), including its role as a quality monitoring tool and results from the first 2 years of operation, are provided. Results: More than 80% of major trauma patients are being managed at major trauma services and standardized death rates are comparable with international standards. Quality indicators identify some areas for improvement. Conclusion: VSTR data indicate that the statewide trauma system is working well and provides a method for ongoing monitoring and trauma care feedback. (C) 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
The evolution of multiagency partnerships for safety over the course of research engagement : Experiences from the NoGAPS project
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Donaldson, Alex , Gabbe, Belinda , Muhammad, Akram , Shee, Anna Wong , Lloyd, David , Cook, Jill
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Prevention Vol. 22, no. 6 (2016), p. 386-391
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Objective Implementation of effective population-level injury prevention interventions requires broad multiagency partnerships. Different stakeholders address this from varying perspectives, and potential conflicts in priorities need to be addressed for such partnerships to be effective. The researcher-led National Guidance for Australian football Partnerships and Safety (NoGAPS) project involved the engagement and participation of seven non-academic partners, including government health promotion and safety agencies; peak sports professional and advocacy bodies and health insurance organisations. Design The partnership's ongoing development was assessed by each partner completing the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Partnership Analysis Tool (VPAT) annually over 2011-2015. Changes in VPAT scores were compared through repeated measures analysis of variance. Results Overall, mean total VPAT scores increased significantly over the 5-year period (125.1-141.2; F-5,F-30=4.61, p=0.003), showing a significant improvement in how the partnership was functioning over time. This was largely driven by significant increases in several VPAT domains: determining the need for a partnership' (F-5,F-30=4.15, p=0.006), making sure the partnership works' (F-5,F-30=2.59, p=0.046), planning collaborative action' (F-5,F-30=5.13, p=0.002) and minimising the barriers to the partnership' (F-5,F-30=6.66, p<0.001). Conclusion This is the first study to assess the functioning of a multiagency partnership to address sport injury prevention implementation. For NoGAPS, the engagement of stakeholders from the outset facilitated the development of new and/or stronger links between non-academic partners. Partners shared the common goal of ensuring the real-world uptake of interventions and research evidence-informed recommendations. Effective multiagency partnerships have the potential to influence the implementation of policies and practices beyond the life of a research project.
Sports trainers' attitudes towards injury surveillance in community Australian Football
- Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Donaldson, Alex , Gabbe, Belinda , Sheehan, Lynne , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 15, no. Supplement 1 (December 2012 2012), p. S129-S130
- Full Text: false
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- Description: C1
Sports Injury Surveillance Systems : A Review of Methods and Data Quality
- Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Gabbe, Belinda , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 1 (2016), p. 49-65
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Background and Aims: Data from sports injury surveillance systems are a prerequisite to the development and evaluation of injury prevention strategies. This review aimed to identify ongoing sports injury surveillance systems and determine whether there are gaps in our understanding of injuries in certain sport settings. A secondary aim was to determine which of the included surveillance systems have evaluated the quality of their data, a key factor in determining their usefulness. Methods: A systematic search was carried out to identify (1) publications presenting methodological details of sports injury surveillance systems within clubs and organisations; and (2) publications describing quality evaluations and the quality of data from these systems. Data extracted included methodological details of the surveillance systems, methods used to evaluate data quality, and results of these evaluations. Results: Following literature search and review, a total of 15 sports injury surveillance systems were identified. Data relevant to each aim were summarised descriptively. Most systems were found to exist within professional and elite sports. Publications concerning data quality were identified for seven (47 %) systems. Validation of system data through comparison with alternate sources has been undertaken for only four systems (27 %). Conclusions: This review identified a shortage of ongoing injury surveillance data from amateur and community sport settings and limited information about the quality of data in professional and elite settings. More surveillance systems are needed across a range of sport settings, as are standards for data quality reporting. These efforts will enable better monitoring of sports injury trends and the development of sports safety strategies. © 2015, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
Sports injury prevention; Maximising the public health benefit
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Gabbe, Belinda , Young, Warren , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport Health Vol. 29, no. 3 (2011), p. 48-51
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text: false
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- Description: In the Autumn 2011 issue of Sport Health, Professor Caroline Finch introduced the NoGAPS (National Guidance for Australian Football Partnerships and Safety) project, a major initiative to develop and disseminate an exercise-training program to prevent leg injuries in community sport. (1) This project builds on the idea that, to maximise public health impact, we need to get sustained adoption and implementation of the NoGAPS exercise-training program by community Australian football players. This will require both the right program content and the right program delivery process (See Figure 1).
Sports injury prevention: improving the outcomes
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Gabbe, Belinda , Lloyd, David , Cook, Jill , Young, Warren , Nicholson, Matthew , Seward, Hugh , Donaldson, Alex , Doyle, Tim , White, Peta
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport Health Vol. 29, no. 1 (2011), p. 34-37
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In australia, the public health signifi cance of sports injuries has long been recognised with national and state-specifi c injury data collections demonstrating the magnitude of the population burden of such injuries, including their signifi cant impact on health service delivery and their potential to be associated with socio-demographic health inequalities. Moreover, health-related lifelong physical activity participation will only be sustained in the long-term if it is delivered in a safe way to minimise injury risk.
Scientific evidence is just the starting point : A generalizable process for developing sports injury prevention interventions
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Lloyd, David , Gabbe, Belinda , Cook, Jill , Young, Warren , White, Peta , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sport and Health Science Vol. 5, no. 3 (2016), p. 334-341
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Background: The 2 most cited sports injury prevention research frameworks incorporate intervention development, yet little guidance is available in the sports science literature on how to undertake this complex process. This paper presents a generalizable process for developing implementable sports injury prevention interventions, including a case study applying the process to develop a lower limb injury prevention exercise training program (FootyFirst) for community Australian football. Methods: The intervention development process is underpinned by 2 complementary premises: (1) that evidence-based practice integrates the best available scientific evidence with practitioner expertise and end user values and (2) that research evidence alone is insufficient to develop implementable interventions. Results: The generalizable 6-step intervention development process involves (1) compiling research evidence, clinical experience, and knowledge of the implementation context; (2) consulting with experts; (3) engaging with end users; (4) testing the intervention; (5) using theory; and (6) obtaining feedback from early implementers. Following each step, intervention content and presentation should be revised to ensure that the final intervention includes evidence-informed content that is likely to be adopted, properly implemented, and sustained over time by the targeted intervention deliverers. For FootyFirst, this process involved establishing a multidisciplinary intervention development group, conducting 2 targeted literature reviews, undertaking an online expert consensus process, conducting focus groups with program end users, testing the program multiple times in different contexts, and obtaining feedback from early implementers of the program. Conclusion: This systematic yet pragmatic and iterative intervention development process is potentially applicable to any injury prevention topic across all sports settings and levels. It will guide researchers wishing to undertake intervention development.
- Description: Background: The 2 most cited sports injury prevention research frameworks incorporate intervention development, yet little guidance is available in the sports science literature on how to undertake this complex process. This paper presents a generalizable process for developing implementable sports injury prevention interventions, including a case study applying the process to develop a lower limb injury prevention exercise training program (FootyFirst) for community Australian football. Methods: The intervention development process is underpinned by 2 complementary premises: (1) that evidence-based practice integrates the best available scientific evidence with practitioner expertise and end user values and (2) that research evidence alone is insufficient to develop implementable interventions. Results: The generalizable 6-step intervention development process involves (1) compiling research evidence, clinical experience, and knowledge of the implementation context; (2) consulting with experts; (3) engaging with end users; (4) testing the intervention; (5) using theory; and (6) obtaining feedback from early implementers. Following each step, intervention content and presentation should be revised to ensure that the final intervention includes evidence-informed content that is likely to be adopted, properly implemented, and sustained over time by the targeted intervention deliverers. For FootyFirst, this process involved establishing a multidisciplinary intervention development group, conducting 2 targeted literature reviews, undertaking an online expert consensus process, conducting focus groups with program end users, testing the program multiple times in different contexts, and obtaining feedback from early implementers of the program. Conclusion: This systematic yet pragmatic and iterative intervention development process is potentially applicable to any injury prevention topic across all sports settings and levels. It will guide researchers wishing to undertake intervention development. (C) 2016 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Shanghai University of Sport.
Priorities for reducing the burden of injuries in sport : The example of Australian football
- Authors: Gabbe, Belinda , Finch, Caroline , Cameron, Peter
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 10, no. 5 (2007), p. 273-276
- Full Text: false
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- Description: The promotion of safe sports participation has become a public health issue due to rising obesity rates and the potential for parental concerns about safety to inhibit sports participation. The safety of Australian football and its elite game, the Australian Football League (AFL), is often the focus of media commentary. Participation in the modified version of the game (Auskick) has been shown to be safer but by the time children reach the under-15 age group, adult rules are in place and the umbrella of safety provided by modified rules is gone. Figures released recently by the AFL suggest that injury rates at the elite-level are at an historical low, but equivalent information for the more than 400,000 non-elite participants is not available. Published literature related to preventing injuries in Australian football highlights a significant knowledge gap with respect to the aetiology of injuries in non-elite participants and only a very small evidence base for prevention of injuries in this sport. Gains in reducing the public health impact of football injuries, and injury-related barriers to Australian football participation, will only come from substantial investment in large-scale trials at the non-elite level, and a co-ordinated and multidisciplinary approach to dealing with safety and injury issues across all levels of play. Active and committed collaboration of key stakeholders such as government health agencies, peak sports bodies, sports administrators, clinicians, researchers, clubs, coaches and the participants themselves will be necessary. © 2007 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005774
Priorities for investment in injury prevention in community Australian football
- Authors: Finch, Caroline , Gabbe, Belinda , White, Peta , Lloyd, David , Twomey, Dara , Donaldson, Alex , Elliott, Bruce , Cook, Jill
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinical journal of sport medicine Vol. 23, no. 6 (November 2013 2013), p. 430-438
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
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- Description: Objective:High-quality sport-specific information about the nature, type, cause, and frequency of injuries is needed to set injury prevention priorities. This article describes the type, nature, and mechanism of injuries in community Australian Football (community AF) players, as collected through field-based monitoring of injury in teams of players.Data Sources:Compilation of published prospectively collected injury data from 3 studies in junior community AF (1202 injuries in 1950+ players) and 3 studies in adult community AF (1765 injuries in 2265 players). This was supplemented with previously unpublished data from the most recent adult community AF injury cohort study conducted in 2007 to 2008. Injuries were ranked according to most common body regions, nature of injury, and mechanism.Main Results:In all players, lower limb injuries were the most frequent injury in community AF and were generally muscle strains, joint sprains, and superficial injuries. These injuries most commonly resulted from incidental contact with other players, or from overexertion. Upper limb injuries were less common but included fractures, strains, and sprains that were generally caused by incidental contact between players and the result of players falling to the ground.Conclusions:Lower limb injuries are common in community AF and could have an adverse impact on sustained participation in the game. Based on what is known about their mechanisms, it is likely that a high proportion of lower limb injuries could be prevented and they should therefore be a priority for injury prevention in community AF.
Predictors of hamstring injury at the elite level of Australian football
- Authors: Gabbe, Belinda , Bennell, Kim , Finch, Caroline , Wajswelner, Henry , Orchard, John
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports Vol. 16, no. 1 (2006), p. 7-13
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Hamstring injuries are the most common injury sustained by elite Australian football players and result in substantial costs because of missed training time, unavailability for matches and lost player payments. Evidence to support proposed risk factors for hamstring injury is generally lacking, limiting the development of appropriate prevention strategies. To identify intrinsic risk factors for hamstring injury at the elite level of Australian football. A prospective cohort of 222 players underwent baseline measurement in the form of a self-report questionnaire and a musculo-skeletal screen during the pre-season period of the 2002 Australian football season. Injury surveillance and exposure data were collected for the full season. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent predictors of hamstring injury in this group of players. Thirty-one players sustained a hamstring injury. A past history (previous 12 months) of hamstring injury and increasing age were found to be independent predictors of hamstring injury. Older players and those with a previous history of hamstring injury are target groups for further research and implementation of injury prevention strategies. Restricted ankle dorsiflexion range of movement warrants consideration in the development of prevention programs for hamstring injury.
- Description: 2003004976
Medical-attention injuries in community Australian football: A review of 30 years of surveillance data from treatment-sources
- Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Finch, Caroline , Gabbe, Belinda
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 16, no. Supplement 1 (December 2013 2013), p. e56
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction: Australian football (AF) consistently outranks other team sports in the frequency of hospitalisations and emergency department (ED) presentations for sports injury treatment. Understanding the profile of these and other ‘medical-attention’ injuries is important for developing preventative strategies and thereby reducing the health-care burden resulting from AF injuries. Currently, hospital and ED surveillance systems provide the only ongoing source of epidemiological data on community sports injuries at the population level. The purpose of this review was to describe the frequency and profile of medical-attention injuries resulting from AF reported in hospital, ED and other treatment-source datasets.
Medical-attention injuries in community australian football: A review of 30 years of surveillance data from treatment sources
- Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Gabbe, Belinda , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine Vol. 25, no. 2 (2015), p. 162-172
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
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- Description: Objective: In recent reports, Australian football has outranked other team sports in the frequency of hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) presentations. Understanding the profile of these and other "medical-attention" injuries is vital for developing preventive strategies that can reduce health costs. The objective of this review was to describe the frequency and profile of Australian football injuries presenting for medical attention. Data Sources: A systematic search was carried out to identify peer-reviewed articles and reports presenting original data about Australian football injuries from treatment sources (hospitals, EDs, and health-care clinics). Data extracted included injury frequency and rate, body region, and nature and mechanism of injury. Main Results: Following literature search and review, 12 publications were included. In most studies, Australian football contributed the greatest number of injuries out of any sport or recreation activity. Hospitals and EDs reported a higher proportion of upper limb than lower limb injuries, whereas the opposite was true for sports medicine clinics. In hospitals, fractures and dislocations were most prevalent out of all injuries. In EDs and clinics, sprains/strains were most common in adults and superficial injuries were predominant in children. Most injuries resulted from contact with other players or falling. Conclusions: The upper limb was the most commonly injured body region for Australian football presentations to hospitals and EDs. Strategies to prevent upper limb injuries could reduce associated public health costs. However, to understand the full extent of the injury problem in football, treatment source surveillance systems should be supplemented with other datasets, including community club-based collections. © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Lessons learnt from implementing FootyFirst in 2012
- Authors: Donaldson, Alex , Gabbe, Belinda , Lloyd, David , Young, Warren , Ekegren, Christina , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport Health Vol. 30, no. 3 (2012), p. 40-41
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565907
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: After we developed FootyFirst and produced a draft program manual, we actively sought input from community football coaches, players, administrators and sports trainers. Two focus groups were conducted to seek feedback on how the program was presented (general impressions, text, images, etc), potential barriers to the program being widely used in community football, and strategies to reduce/overcome these. Feedback indicated that the type and level of the exercises within FootyFirst had been pitched at the right level and that the program was easy to follow and understand. The main concern was it would take too much time for community football players to complete the FootyFirst program, particularly given that most community football teams train only twice a week for about 90 minutes. Focus group participants suggested that the maximum time available in a typical training session for this type of program would be about 20 minutes. A range of questions and concerns were also raised including; Will the program work? Why should it be done? Are players likely to become fatigued and more prone to injury in their regular football training after completing FootyFirst? The focus group participants also indicated that endorsement of FootyFirst by a highly respected individual or organisation from within the elite AFL community would be a powerful influence on community coaches and players.
Is the revised trauma score still useful?
- Authors: Gabbe, Belinda , Cameron, Peter , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: ANZ Journal of Surgery Vol. 73, no. 11 (2003), p. 944-948
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The revised trauma score (RTS) has been embraced by the trauma community worldwide. Although originally developed as a triage tool, the use of the RTS has since been expanded to include the prediction of outcome following traumatic injury. Through a critical review of the literature, evidence for use of the RTS is discussed along with the limitations of this commonly used tool. In summary, the RTS is a well-established predictor of mortality in trauma populations, but there is a lack of definitive evidence supporting its use as a primary triage tool and as a predictor of outcomes other than mortality. Difficulty in collecting the components of the RTS creates issues for data validity and the use of the RTS as a research tool. Although the weighted RTS has been developed to improve the prediction capacity of the RTS, studies reporting its use are few and there is debate regarding the applicability of the published coefficients for broad use. Overall, further studies are warranted to clearly establish the usefulness of the RTS as a triage tool in the field, to further evaluate the weighted version of the RTS, and to determine the ability of the RTS to predict functional outcome and quality of life. In particular, future research is needed to address these issues in Australian trauma populations.
- Description: 2003005273
Injury surveillance in community sport : Can we obtain valid data from sports trainers?
- Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Gabbe, Belinda , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports Vol. 25, no. 3 (2015), p. 315-322
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A lack of available injury data on community sports participants has hampered the development of informed preventive strategies for the broad-base of sports participation. In community sports settings, sports trainers or first-aiders are well-placed to carry out injury surveillance, but few studies have evaluated their ability to do so. The aim of this study was to investigate the reporting rate and completeness of sports trainers' injury records and agreement between sports trainers' and players' reports of injury in community Australian football. Throughout the football season, one sports trainer from each of four clubs recorded players' injuries. To validate these data, we collected self-reported injury data from players via short message service (SMS). In total, 210 discrete injuries were recorded for 139 players, 21% by sports trainers only, 59% by players via SMS only, and 21% by both. Completeness of injury records ranged from 95% to 100%. Agreement between sports trainers and players ranged from K=0.32 (95% confidence interval: 0.27, 0.37) for date of return to football to K=1.00 for activity when injured. Injury data collected by sports trainers may be of adequate quality for providing an understanding of the profile of injuries. However, data are likely to underestimate injury rates and should be interpreted with caution. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Injury reporting via SMS text messaging in community sport
- Authors: Ekegren, Christina , Gabbe, Belinda , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Injury Prevention Vol.20, no.4 (2013), p.266-271.
- Full Text:
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- Description: Background: The use of text messaging or short message service (SMS) for injury reporting is a recent innovation in sport and has not yet been trialled at the community level. Considering the lack of personnel and resources in community sport, SMS may represent a viable option for ongoing injury surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of injury self-reporting via SMS in community Australian football. Methods: A total of 4 clubs were randomly selected from a possible 22 men's community Australian football clubs. Consenting players received an SMS after each football round game asking whether they had been injured in the preceding week. Outcome variables included the number of SMS-reported injuries, players’ response rates and response time. Poisson regression was used to evaluate any change in response rate over the season and the association between response rate and the number of reported injuries. Results: The sample of 139 football players reported 167 injuries via SMS over the course of the season. The total response rate ranged from 90% to 98%. Of those participants who replied on the same day, 47% replied within 5 min. The number of reported injuries decreased as the season progressed but this was not significantly associated with a change in the response rate. Conclusions: The number of injuries reported via SMS was consistent with previous studies in community Australian football. Injury reporting via SMS yielded a high response rate and fast response time and should be considered a viable injury reporting method for community sports settings.