Child and Sport Safety: Basic Cardiac and General Health Evaluation

Preparticipation screening refers to the medical evaluation of athletes for detecting (screening) medical conditions associated with increased health risk during sport participation and appropriate referral of suspected cases for detailed confirmatory diagnosis. Preparticipation screening is based on medical history and physical evaluation performed by primary health care physicians. In contrast to well established recommendations for preparticipation screening for adult athletes, focusing mainly on cardiac screening, the preparticipation evaluation of children is challenging: not only the etiology and manifestation of pediatric heart disease differs from adults but further health issues which can affect their safe sport participation including neurology, pulmonology, endocrinology, orthopedic, ophthalmology, genetic etc health issues have to be detected. Furthermore, safe sport participation has to take into account the physical growth and psychosocial development stage children, supporting the joyful participation in a variety of recreational sports over competitive high intensity sports.

Course leader

Ioannis Germanakis Assoc. Professor of Pediatrics-Pediatric Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete.

Target group

- Medical students –advanced level (having successfully attended preclinical pediatrics, cardiology, pulmonology, as a minimum). - Postgraduate level, including master degree, PhD students of medicine or sports fields. - Primary health care physicians, active in basic preparticipation screening including children (pediatricians, general physicians, cardiologists)

Course aim

Participant will acquire basic theoretical knowledge and develop appropriate clinical skills in: Pediatric Cardiac Auscultation, differentiating innocent from abnormal heart sounds Basic Knowledge of pediatric electrocardiogram interpretation Personal and Family History regarding pediatric heart diseases Detecting symptoms and sings of a variety of further health issues potentially affecting safe sport participation in childhood, including neurology, pulmonology, orthopedic, endocrinology etc Knowledge of the importance of safe sport participation for all children, in sports appropriate for their developmental stage, interests and underlying health conditions