Injury and illness surveillance in elite athletes The Norwegian Olympic experience Ben Clarsen PT PhD Research Fellow Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Specialist Sports Physiotherapist Norwegian Olympic Training Center
Main challenges providing medical care to Norwegian Olympic & Paralympic athletes Lots of small s Athletes live all over Norway & are constantly travelling Athletes relate to multiple medical s Olympic Training Center National Professional /club Local support network
Main challenges providing medical care to Norwegian Olympic & Paralympic athletes Poor communication between medical providers Athletes can be slow to report new health problems (particularly gradual-onset conditions) Many problems remain "under the radar" or without a clear management plan
PERIODIC HEALTH EVALUATION INJURY & ILLNESS SURVEILLANCE WELLNESS & LOAD MONITORING
Surveillance why do we do it? Individual level Early identification of new problems Continuous monitoring of known problems Facilitate communication between athletes and medical staff Big-picture level Collect data on injury and illness patterns Which injuries and illnesses? Which athletes are affected? What times of the year? Identifies prevention priorities and assists resource alocation
20 Players 20 Players 20 Players 20 Players 20 Players Project manager 20 Players 20 Players 20 Players 20 Players 20 Players
Physio Doctor Biathlon Physio Doctor Ice sledge hockey Physio Physio Doctor Physio Alpine skiing Ski jumping Speed skating Cross-country skiing Physio Wheelchair curling Doctor Snowboard Doctor Ice hockey Nordic combined Freestyle skiing Sliding Curling PL alpine skiing PL cross-country skiing & biathlon Figure skating
Handball Athletics Archery Doctor Doctor Shooting Swimming Physio Physio BMX Paralympics Doctor Wrestling Physio Road Cycling Physio Sailing Rowing Beach Voleyball Boxing Kayak
Project manager Archery Boxing Wrestling Physio Doctor Shooting Kayak Physio Doctor Physio Doctor Handball Rowing Physio Doctor Physio Athletics Doctor Beach Volleyball Physio Doctor Sailing Physio Doctor Swimming Physio Doctor Cycling Physio Doctor
Weekly questionnaire ATHLETE Diagnosis registration DATABASE Individual follow-up MEDICAL TEAM Online health dashboard + email alerts
Weekly questionnaire ATHLETE Diagnosis registration DATABASE Individual follow-up MEDICAL TEAM Online health dashboard + email alerts
4 key questions on the consequences of health problems Sports participation Training modification Performance Symptoms
Injury or illness? Region/symptoms? New? Time loss? Who knows about it? Any comments?
Weekly questionnaire ATHLETE Diagnosis registration DATABASE Individual follow-up MEDICAL TEAM Online health dashboard + email alerts
Weekly questionnaire ATHLETE Diagnosis registration DATABASE Individual follow-up MEDICAL TEAM Online health dashboard + email alerts
Weekly questionnaire ATHLETE Diagnosis registration DATABASE Individual follow-up MEDICAL TEAM Online health dashboard + email alerts
Challenges and success factors
Weekly questionnaire ATHLETE Diagnosis registration DATABASE Individual follow-up MEDICAL TEAM Online health dashboard + email alerts
Sochi preparations: Response rate 84%
Surveillance app use Winter Olympic sports Sport Athletes N (%) that regularly use app Ski jumping 7 7 (100%) Figure skating 2 2 (100%) XC skiing - Women 8 8 (100%) Speed skating 16 16 (100%) Skeleton 1 1 (100%) Curling 9 8 (89%) Nordic Combined 7 5 (71%) Biathlon 13 6 (46%) Alpine Skiing 16 7 (44%) Ice hockey 31 11 (35%) Freestyle skiing 7 2 (29%) XC Skiing - men 16 1 (6%) Snowboard 6 0 (0%)
Surveillance app use Winter Paralympic sports Sport Athletes N (%) that regularly use app Alpine skiing 1 1 (100%) Curling 5 5 (100%) Ice sledge hockey 20 18 (90%) Biathlon 8 7 (88%) Snowboard 1 1 (100%)
How can we raise the response rate by 16%?
What s in it for me? Side 30
What s in it for me? What s in it for me? Side 31
Side 32 What s in it for me?
What's in it for me? Athlete Coach Rapid follow up when they report a new problem Access to their own data Rapid alerts when new problems are reported Access to detailed data on individuals and Regular feedback on health status of the Access to big-picture summary data
What's in it for me? Athlete Coach "Better medical care" "Easier to do my job" "Improved performance"
The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center has been established at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences through generous grants from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Culture, the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority, the International Olympic Committee, the Norwegian Olympic Committee & Confederation of Sport, and Norsk Tipping AS