Preparing for Worst-Case Scenarios on Court: How to Best Prepare Your Medical Team

Abstract

This chapter reviews general concepts for the assessment and interventions of the worst-case conditions that are threatening the life of a basketball player or incidents that are leading to severe musculoskeletal deficiency. The medical team should have knowledge about the injuries that may occur in Basketball match or practice and should be ready for intervention. They must be prepared to manage an athlete with not only musculoskeletal injuries but also life-threatening serious emergencies until the player can be safely transferred to a medical facility.

The team physician and medical staff should be equipped and ready to unexpected and undesired incidents, if the incident does not require transfer to a medical facility, the team physician can manage the injuries and decide on safe return to participation. If the trauma is severe, every person on duty in the medical team should be able to triage the injured athlete to a medical facility for more definitive care. Sometimes, the trauma seems to be severe, but in reality, it may not be as severe as assumed. In this case, team physician is required to evaluate the athlete with potential return to play or clear the athlete to go back to game.

The essential point of event coverage is to be aware of and be well prepared to both the common and unforeseen injuries. Being planned and practiced about the emergency protocols can result with the appropriate fast medical care and transfer of an athlete to a medical center for advanced treatment in the serious or life-threatening injury. Emergency plans should be applied based on the nature of injury and the affected body part.

The objectives of this chapter include approach to a fallen player after jump and also to direct impact of another player. Besides, basic skills for the first aid field side assessment and injury management by medical team covering the event will be discussed. The chapter provides a stepwise approach for performing the primary survey of injured basketball player. Details of examinations and evaluations for specific injuries were presented and discussed in other chapters of this book. This chapter covers basic principles of initial stabilization, applications of emergency procedures, first aid fundamentals and basic field applications, as well as planning issues concerning medical team, emergency protocol arrangement, and preparing the medical team to gain quick reflexes to sudden unfavorable changes.