How to Use Sports Research to Inform Safety Initiatives

There are a myriad of benefits to documenting athlete data. Not only does documentation help avoid future incidents and provides detailed athlete information for future reference and allow volunteer coaches and ATs to make more informed decisions regarding athlete care. In 2019, South Carolina’s Greenville County Athletic Trainers (ATs) used an electronic data capture system to record all athlete data, including injuries, exposures and health care services provided.  The initiative reduced athlete injuries by 22% and healthcare costs by 50%. Think about it like this, if volunteer coaches can reference their previous season’s injury data, they can use that information during their current season to identify where additional support is needed and determine methods and strategies to avoid similar incidents. 

To simplify injury reporting, InjureFree uses a mobile, real-time solution with simple-to-use drop-down menus for fast and easy reporting. The collected data allows volunteer coaches and ATs to compare injury rates to make data-driven decisions on things like the safety of playing surfaces and equipment and compare rates of injuries to national averages and other clubs or schools. Researching and comparing injuries helps to establish child safety initiatives and risk management for youth sports.

Without research-based intervention, we’re putting the well-being of youth athletes at risk. Not just by way of potential injury, but zooming out, injured youth means less active youth. Research tells us that adolescent inactivity is associated with increased health issues as an adult. Additionally, if young people aren’t pursuing sports, sports organizations are directly affected - both their profitability and reputation. Coaches and trainers create a safer youth sports environment by simply collecting and documenting athlete data.

Click here to learn more about the importance of youth sports safety initiatives.

References

1. https://www.injurefree.com/
2. Kerr, W. by          Courtney. (2021, July 19). The importance of incident reports in sports and Fitness. Upper Hand. https://upperhand.com/importance-of-incident-reports-in-sports-and-fitness/
3. Why a youth sports safety program is important. National Council of Youth Sports. (n.d.). https://ncys.org/why-a-youth-sports-safety-program-is-important/