Context:
Sudden cardiac death in athletes may be preventable if healthcare providers perform a thorough screening of the cardiovascular system during routine athlete evaluations.
Objective:
Determine the adequacy of routine screening of athletes for heart disease by athletic trainers (ATs) and physical therapists (PTs).
Design, Participants, Setting, and Methods:
National Athletic Trainers Association and Sports Physical Therapy Section members were surveyed using a stratified sampling technique via e-mail and postal mail.
Results:
ATs performed significantly higher than PTs on the composite screening score (CSS; mean of 13 items) as well as on 9 of 13 individual items. Logistic regression analysis revealed that “involvement in preparticipation screenings for sports (PPSS)” was most closely related to CSS (P < .01) and controlling for this factor in the ANOVA eliminated differences between the professions.
Conclusions:
Clinicians working with athletes who are not involved in PPSS may not adequately screen these patients for heart disease.
