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Why EHR Systems Matter in Sports
The world of professional sport has faced an uneasy tension at its heart for some time.
On one hand sits the need for commercial success, often measured by the number of fans engaging with and supporting their chosen teams and players. This translates into TV ratings and so dollars. Teams (and leagues) naturally want the best players on their rosters and there is a natural tendency on teams to invest every dollar into recruiting and paying the best players.
On the other sits the need to always have the best players on the field in order to win and to entertain. This sometimes means players play when they may ideally be rested or they are not fit. There is a need to invest heavily in the care of these players to try to keep them healthy or at least healthy enough to play. This support for player health costs money that could be spent elsewhere.
The arrival of Messi in MLS was a case in point. The team and the league (in MLS all players are employees of the league) knew that to maximize the value of his arrival in the US, fans would expect to see him on the pitch and not injured in the stands. It’s a balance, one that Messi and his team seem to have got just about right this season so far, supported by a robust player health policy at the league level.
Whilst the riches of the major professional sports leagues seemingly allow them to meet both these commercial and player health needs, we still see a worrying number of leagues and sporting associations, outside the big five in the US & Canada, fail to recognize the importance of sound player care in the form of a robust medical record keeping protocol for their sport.
It must be a concern to players, and their representative unions and agents, participating in these competitions that there is frequently a reliance on outdated and insufficient technologies, including pen and paper, as the means for managing player health data.
This oversight not only affects the performance and longevity of players, but it also comes with significant cost.
To truly prioritize player health, these leagues and teams must shift their focus from commercial incentives alone to one of proper support of medical data collection best practice.
This shift involves recognizing the long-term benefits of investing in robust Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and the overall well-being of players.
There are at least three key reasons to invest in EHR technology: the positive impact on player health and performance, the financial and legal repercussions of injured players, and the moral responsibility teams and leagues have to their players.
1. Impact on Player health and performance
Inadequate data management can lead to increased injuries.
A significant hidden cost of not utilizing modern EHR systems is an increased risk of injuries.
We still see many professional leagues and teams using rudimentary solutions for documenting athlete health data.
Without comprehensive standardized records, it becomes challenging to track and manage a player’s health during the course of their employment and career.
Injuries that could be managed with access to accurate historical data often escalate into more serious issues.
Without a robust and effective EHR system, medical teams may not have access to the player’s full injury records, making it difficult to identify patterns and risks specific to the talent.
In many scenarios, this inefficiency leads to inadequate treatment and prolonged recovery times, affecting performance and career longevity.
Optimization of training and recovery
Modern EHR systems aren’t just an essential part of reacting to player health; they also create advantages when it comes to maintaining optimal performance and managing the risk of injury.
Specifically, a comprehensive EHR system plays a key role when it comes to player load management, fatigue monitoring and recovery periods.
Without a modern EHR system, coaches and medical staff rely on partial information at best rather than high quality data to navigate the risks of overtraining and burnout.
2. Financial and legal consequences
Increased healthcare costs and potential legal liabilities
There are two major financial burdens that leagues and their teams face when making a choice about the level of investment to make into the care of their players.
Firstly, the higher healthcare expenses involved in losing your most valuable asset to an injury. Recurring injuries that need long-term rehabilitation can be a significant cost to teams.
Secondly, even the most new averse among us have seen an increase in serious legal risks associated with a lack of attention being given to player health management, especially in the area of mental health.
Leagues and teams that fail to implement modern best practices are more open to litigation from players who suffer long-term injuries or health issues due to a perceived lack of care. The NFL’s concussion settlement with their former players nearly 20 years ago was the first to make headlines and its only a matter of time before there is another big pay out for those that don’t take this area seriously.
Good EHR systems mitigate these risks.
When all player health data is consistently and accurately recorded as well as being easily accessible, sporting organisations can demonstrate transparency and show leadership that in turn sends a message to all their stakeholders that they prioritize the well-being of their players, at the same time as reducing the likelihood of legal conflict.
3. Moral responsibility to players
Ensuring players ‘ well-being and building trust
Morals and Sport are not always easy companions but outside of player health & performance and league & team financial considerations, there is another more human factor at play.
Increasingly, and in keeping with societal trends, leagues and teams are expected to create a safe and high-quality working environment for players, where care and transparency through best practice is expected to be the norm.
Investment in accurate modern health management systems creates a valuable signal to players that health and professional care is a priority.
In contrast, failing to show proper health management processes can impact player morale, lead to decreased motivation and ultimately fray loyalty to the team and senior executives.
Having spent the first part of my career managing professional players, it was very apparent that when players felt their well-being was being genuinely prioritized, it not only built a true sense of trust towards the organization, but also a more cohesive team environment. Importantly, the flip side was also true. A lack of quality medical care, whether perceived or real, caused a real fracturing of the player: team relationship.
Conclusion
Implementing the latest generation of sports specialist EHR systems, that manage all forms of pertinent health data not just traditional medical records, is fast becoming one of the most important performance gains a sporting organization can make – player health can no longer take second place to commercial priorities.
Prioritizing EHR is not just about improving the bottom line, but valuing the players who make sports possible.
The good news is that where EHR systems were once reserved for the leagues and teams with the largest budgets, budget appropriate platforms are now available to every organization that needs one. We have made it our mission to design and build solutions that help organizations store, standardize, and analyze confidential medical data and imagery, implement best practices and optimize player availability for the good of players, teams and leagues.
