Investigation of the knowledge levels and thoughts of Ankara City Hospital Family Medicine research assistants on athlete examination and pre-participation physical evaluation in sports

Investigation of The Knowledge Levels and Thoughts of Ankara City Hospital Family Medicine Research Assistants on Athlete Examination and Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation in Sports Objectives: The benefits of sports on physical and mental health have increased the tendency of people to sports in our country and all over the world. As a result of the joint decision of the sports and medical world over time, the need for a preliminary evaluation before applying to sports has come to the fore. Due to sudden cardiac death cases during sports activities, the concern of underlying cardiovascular disease in families and even physicians is increasing. This situation reveals the importance of pre-sport evaluation. There is no standardized guide for primary care physicians in our country on pre-sport evaluation and the requested sports performance report. This study aimed to measure the knowledge level of primary care physicians about pre-participation evaluation and athlete examinations, investigate their experiences, evaluate the adequacy/referral criteria of primary health care services and determine physicians training needs on the subject. Materials and Methods: Our study was planned as a cross-sectional study. The population of the study consists of assistant physicians working in Ankara City Hospital Family Medicine Clinic. It was aimed to include all family medicine research assistants working in the clinic in the study.This study was carried out by filling out an online questionnaire at Ankara City Hospital Family Medicine Clinic between 01.09.2020 and 31.03.2021.While the questionnaire forms were being created, the relevant questionnaire questions were determined by scanning the literature by the researcher.Our survey consists of 3 parts and 26 questions. The SPSS 25.0 package program was used in the analysis of the data. In all statistical analyses, p<0.05 was accepted as significant. Results: Of the 153 participants included in our study, 63.4% (n=97) were female and 36.6% (n=56) were male. The average age of the participants was 29.9±4.6.While the average experience of the participants in their profession of medicine was 5.2±4.6 years, the average duration of research assistantship was 2.7±2.8 years. Participants were divided into two groups according to their working status in their institution. Of the participants 10.5% (n=16) were CFMS (Contracted Family Medicine Specialization) assistant, and 89.5% (n=137) were full-time family medicine assistant. The rate of participants who had previously given a report which allows participating in sports was 60.1% (n=92), while 89.5% of them (n=137) did not consider themselves sufficient in reporting those reports, and 96.1% (n=147) of the participants stated that they had not received training on pre-participation evaluation in sports. When asked who is appropriate to give the athlete's examination and the participation of sports reports; only 5.9% (n=9) of the participants chose the option 'The family physician can give reports with the result of the physical examination', and 77.1% (n=118) of them chose the option 'the joint decision of Cardiology+Sports medicine can give the reports'. The mean value of the participants was found to be 9.0±2.1 according to the answers given to 16 questions asked to evaluate the level of knowledge. There was no significant relationship between the variables examined and achievement status. Conclusion: The family physician is the first medical contact point that meets the diagnosis, follow-up and treatment of acute/chronic diseases of registered athletes. However, primary health care services in pre-participation evaluation are still a controversial issue due to the lack of a guideline and lack of education. Educational deficiencies can be eliminated with optional rotations and field training, training days in their respective branches, symposiums, and congresses. With a guideline prepared by our ministry for primary care, the pre-participation evaluation of the athlete will be provided much more efficiently. Keywords: Pre-Participation Evaluation in Sports, Pre-Participation Sports Screening, Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes, Family Medicine.