As a sports coach, an athletic trainer, a physician, or nurse who works with athletes or the parent of a young athlete, have you wondered when it was safe to send an injured athlete back in the game? Have you had other ethical sports questions? University of Iowa Sports Medicine hosted a symposium December 1 featuring experts to discuss the ethics of sports medicine. Joseph Buckwalter, MS, MD, professor and head of UI Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Services at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks about ethics in sports medicine:

Explain what is meant by 'ethics in sports medicine.'

Ethics in medicine refers to the guiding principles that health care providers use to put the patient’s welfare first, and the patient’s welfare is the ultimate value. In sports medicine this is a particular form of medical ethics in that many of the patients are athletes, either competitive or recreational. And this raises the issues in terms of coordinating care among coaches, athletic trainers, and physicians; as well as how to place the patient’s interests in the forefront and consider what is not only in the patient’s best interest in the short-term, but in the long-term.

Who will be included on the panel for the Dec. 1 event?

We’re very fortunate to have an excellent group of individuals to participate in this:

• William Garrett, team physician for Duke University, team physician for the United States National Soccer Team, and Olympic team physician
• Dan Gable, the most successful wrestling coach in NCAA history and the most successful coach in any NCAA sport�]ever
• Norm Granger, played fullback for the University of Iowa football team and played in three bowl games, including the Rose Bowl, and Most Valuable the NFL and brings a tremendous experience as an excellent athlete
• Ned Amendola, international figure in sports medicine and Iowa team physician for the football team and many of other teams. He is also a scientist, investigator, and teacher, and Director of the University of Iowa Sports Medicine Center.
• Paul Baumert, team physician at the University of Iowa. He is interested in the health and fitness of athletes and how to maintain and enhance their health and fitness.
• Dan Foster, University of Iowa athletic trainer and Director of University of Iowa Athletic Training Education Services. He’s authored multiple textbooks, textbook chapters, and articles on sports medicine.

What sorts of topics or questions will the panel discuss?

There are a number of intriguing and important questions. For example, when is it appropriate for an athlete to return to competition after an injury? We have to take into consideration the athlete’s interest and desire to participate, but also the potential risks to that athlete for subsequent injury or long-term consequences. Then, how do we balance the competing pressures on athletes to enhance performance, sometimes at the expense of their personal life or their use of performance-enhancing substances.

What’s the appropriate balance that a coach, an athlete, an athletic trainer, and a physician should provide for these athletes who are also patients? Then, how do we deal with the problem of finding out that an athlete may be using an inappropriate, illegal, or perhaps damaging performance-enhancing substance.

What are the ethics of the physician, the coach, and the trainer in that situation? Those are just a few of the truly challenging topics that we face in providing health care to competitive and recreational athletes.

Will the audience be allowed to ask questions of the panel as well?

Certainly, our intent is to present a series of cases that raise ethical questions, ask panel members to discuss those, get their opinions, and then ask the audience for any questions or their opinions.

We mentioned parents and coaches, but who exactly should consider attending this panel discussion?

I think athletes may wish to participate in this. Certainly school administrators might want to learn more about this subject. Any physician who cares for athletes�]athletic trainer, nurse, and physical therapist might find this valuable.

Is this session more in line with young men or women involved in athletics?

Both. We have developed cases that are based both on women and men athletes and of course many of the same issues affect both men and women.

KXIC broadcasts are presented in mp3 format. The latest version of Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, or Real Player is required to play them.

Listen to the radio broadcast

Joseph Buckwalter, MS, MD