Table 3 Pressing issues to improve the quality in injury epidemiology research for disability sport
From: Sport Injuries Sustained by Athletes with Disability: A Systematic Review
Study methodology | Intrinsic athlete baseline data | Extrinsic athlete data |
|---|---|---|
Pressing issues deduced from the current review | ||
Reporting of the employed sports injury definition, preferably using a standardised injury definition Report on whether an injury diagnosis was made by medical professional, and include details whether diagnosis was confirmed with objective methods Use of standard terminology of injury diagnosis (e.g. The Orchard Sports Injury Classification System) Use of a prospective study design Reporting whether an injury was sustained in training or competition Categorising injuries into acute and chronic (i.e. overuse) Reporting on the mechanism of injury Reporting of sporting exposure, ideally in hours of play Reporting of proper injury numbers, i.e. incidence (density) and /or prevalence of injury | Reporting of basic cohort demographics: • Age • Sex • Type of sport • Disability category • Disability severity • Athlete classification (if applicable) | |
Issues deduced from applying practical experience to review findings | ||
Requirement for valid and reliable clinical tests to accurately determine diagnoses in disability athletes | • Reporting on whether the disability is congenital or acquired, and if acquired include duration since acquisition • Provision of regular medication use • Reporting on current and previous treatment for disability or sports injury • Prospective monitoring of (changes in) training load | Prospective reporting of: • Equipment use for sport • Equipment use to support disability • Sporting surface • Climate conditions • Level of competition |