Phil Hughes tragedy highlights need for medical emergency plans

In the wake of the death of cricketer Phil Hughes, Sports Medicine Australia Chief Executive Nello Marino gives his view on sporting safety.

In March this year, the Australian psyche was shattered when images of Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon’s neck crunching on a sickening angle as the result of a lift tackle gone wrong were flashed around the nation.

Last week, once again Australians felt sick as confronting images of South Australian batsman Phillip Hughes lying motionless on the pitch after being hit by a cricket ball in the neck dominated the front pages of our national newspapers.

Both of these shocking accidents were rare and 'freakish', yes. But they are both also accidents that are not exclusive to elite sport – they could just as easily have happened out on a local sporting ground – a point most commentators seem to be missing.

In the aftermath of the tragic death of Phillip Hughes, talk has understandably turned to safety in sport, and what can be done to prevent what happened to Phillip ever happening again. While Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) applauds any discussion and action that minimises the risk of a catastrophic injury whether that be improving helmet design or banning bouncers, it’s actually ‘missing the forest for the trees’. Because this was a 'freak' accident, and it is highly unlikely this exact situation will occur again in the near future. By latching on to the 'freak' nature of this incident in an attempt to reassure ourselves that cricket, and sport more generally is 'safe', and by just tackling helmet design – we are missing the bigger picture.

The reality is that unexpected, serious 'freak' medical incidents occur regularly at community sporting clubs across the country. Generally these incidents go unnoticed by the public and mainstream media. When something like this occurs at an elite level, there is a team of sports medicine experts on hand who monitor the play and are ready to provide treatment and emergency care at the sign of an injury using a carefully planned set of procedures. This care and procedure in emergency situations makes a significant difference to the recovery or long term prognosis of a seriously injured athlete and may be enough to give them every opportunity to survive in a critical situation. In the case of Phillip Hughes, it almost certainly gave every opportunity of reaching the hospital alive and further hope of survival.

When an unexpected medical emergency occurs at a grassroots level, often the outcome is far worse because community sports clubs are drastically ill prepared to manage a serious incident. New community data collected by SMA found that in Victoria, nearly 80% of community sporting clubs do not have a medical emergency plan in place, while 70% don’t have safety officers or undertake any form of sports safety promotion. It is likely that these statistics are similar across the country. These are staggering figures. For a sport loving nation such as Australia it is shameful that community sport is so under-resourced it can’t provide basic emergency and first aid support for its players.

In rural and regional areas where the nearest hospital or ambulance may be some distance off, having a medical emergency plan in place, and personnel trained in first aid such as sports trainers on hand, can be the difference between life and death. The first minutes after a serious incident are absolutely critical, with evidence showing CPR and defibrillators significantly improve survival outcomes in cases of sudden cardiac arrest. Even simple things like knowing where the key is to unlock the gate to enable an ambulance to access a sporting field can make all the difference in a life and death situation.

Most sport-related injuries can be prevented and managed through the right preparation, education and training, resources and injury prevention measures. We may never completely eliminate injury from sport, but we can try to minimise the impact of an injury by ensuring community sport is adequately resourced to provide comprehensive safety and emergency care should a life threatening incident occur. Governments should be doing more, but in the absence of greater investment, ensuring basic first aid and emergency plans are in place is something all levels of the sporting community can take on.

Nello Marino is Chief Executive of Sports Medicine Australia.

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