Do five screening tools identify the same number of runners who require pre-exercise medical clearance?

Posted on May 12, 2023

Recently researchers at the Sport, Exercise Medicine and Lifestyle Institute (SEMLI) at the University of Pretoria published their findings comparing five international screening tools that are recommended to identify individuals who require pre-exercise medical clearance to reduce the risk of medical encounters during exercise. They determined the percentage of race entrants who are advised to obtain pre-exercise medical clearance and the observed agreement between these five different international pre-exercise medical screening tools. They analysed the data from 76,654 race entrants of the Two Oceans Marathon (2012–2015) that completed an online pre-race screening questionnaire. They found that the percentage of entrants recommended for medical clearance varied from 6.7% to 33.9% between the five tools. This is a considerable difference and may make it difficult for the clinician to decide which pre-exercise screening tool to use.  The researchers recommend that further research is required to determine which tool has the best predictive ability in identifying those at higher risk of medical encounters during exercise.

 

Reference for this summary:

Do five screening tools identify the same number of runners who require pre-exercise medical clearance? SAFER XXXIV. Chanel Smith, Nicola Sewry, Kim Noltea, Sonja Swanevelderd, Nina Engelkee, Calvin van Kampe, Esme Jordaan and Martin Schwellnus. THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2023.2176161

Copyright © University of Pretoria 2024. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal

To contact the University during the COVID-19 lockdown, please send an email to [email protected]

FAQ's Email Us Virtual Campus Share Cookie Preferences