TY - JOUR
T1 - Emergency response facilities including primary and secondary prevention strategies across 79 professional football clubs in England
AU - Malhotra, Aneil
AU - Dhutia, Harshil
AU - Gati, Sabiha
AU - Yeo, Tee-Joo
AU - Finnochiaro, Gherardo
AU - Keteepe-Arachi, Tracey
AU - Richards, Thomas
AU - Walker, Mike
AU - Birt, Robin
AU - Stuckey, David
AU - Robinson, Laurence
AU - Tome, Maite
AU - Beasley, Ian
AU - Papadakis, Michael
AU - Sharma, Sanjay
N1 - © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2019. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.
PY - 2019/7
Y1 - 2019/7
N2 - AIM: To assess the emergency response planning and prevention strategies for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) across a wide range of professional football clubs in England.METHODS: A written survey was sent to all professional clubs in the English football league, namely the Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2. Outcomes included: (1) number of clubs performing cardiac screening and frequency of screening; (2) emergency planning and documentation; (3) automated external defibrillator (AED) training and availability; and (4) provision of emergency services at sporting venues.RESULTS: 79 clubs (86%) responded to the survey. 100% clubs participated in cardiac screening. All clubs had AEDs available on match days and during training sessions. 100% Premiership clubs provided AED training to designated staff. In contrast, 30% of lower division clubs with AEDs available did not provide formal training. Most clubs (n=66; 83%) reported the existence of an emergency action plan for SCA but formal documentation was variable. All clubs in the Premiership and League 1 provided an ambulance equipped for medical emergencies on match days compared with 75% of clubs in the Championship and 66% in League 2.CONCLUSIONS: The majority of football clubs in England have satisfactory prevention strategies and emergency response planning in line with European recommendations. Additional improvements such as increasing awareness of European guidelines for emergency planning, AED training and mentorship with financial support to lower division clubs are necessary to further enhance cardiovascular safety of athletes and spectators and close the gap between the highest and lower divisions.
AB - AIM: To assess the emergency response planning and prevention strategies for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) across a wide range of professional football clubs in England.METHODS: A written survey was sent to all professional clubs in the English football league, namely the Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2. Outcomes included: (1) number of clubs performing cardiac screening and frequency of screening; (2) emergency planning and documentation; (3) automated external defibrillator (AED) training and availability; and (4) provision of emergency services at sporting venues.RESULTS: 79 clubs (86%) responded to the survey. 100% clubs participated in cardiac screening. All clubs had AEDs available on match days and during training sessions. 100% Premiership clubs provided AED training to designated staff. In contrast, 30% of lower division clubs with AEDs available did not provide formal training. Most clubs (n=66; 83%) reported the existence of an emergency action plan for SCA but formal documentation was variable. All clubs in the Premiership and League 1 provided an ambulance equipped for medical emergencies on match days compared with 75% of clubs in the Championship and 66% in League 2.CONCLUSIONS: The majority of football clubs in England have satisfactory prevention strategies and emergency response planning in line with European recommendations. Additional improvements such as increasing awareness of European guidelines for emergency planning, AED training and mentorship with financial support to lower division clubs are necessary to further enhance cardiovascular safety of athletes and spectators and close the gap between the highest and lower divisions.
KW - Allied Health Personnel/education
KW - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/education
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Death, Sudden, Cardiac/prevention & control
KW - Defibrillators/supply & distribution
KW - Emergency Medical Services/methods
KW - England
KW - Humans
KW - Mass Screening/methods
KW - Primary Prevention
KW - Secondary Prevention
KW - Soccer
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
U2 - 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097440
DO - 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097440
M3 - Article
C2 - 28615216
SN - 0306-3674
VL - 53
SP - 813
EP - 817
JO - British Journal of Sports Medicine
JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine
IS - 13
ER -