What Is an Extreme Sports Healthcare Provider: An Auto-Ethnographic Study of the Development of an Extreme Sports Medicine Training Program

Larissa Trease, Edi Albert, Glenn Singleman and Eric Brymer
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Larissa Trease: Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments (HREE) Program, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia
Edi Albert: Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments (HREE) Program, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia
Glenn Singleman: Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments (HREE) Program, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7005, Australia
Eric Brymer: Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast Campus, Bilinga, Gold Coast, QLD 4225, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-11

Abstract: “I remember when sex was safe and skydiving was dangerous” read a popular bumper sticker during the HIV crisis. Popular perceptions of extreme sport (ES) often include the descriptor ‘dangerous’. Therefore, why is the popularity of ES increasing exponentially with “dedicated TV channels, internet sites, high-rating competitions, and high-profile sponsors drawing more participants”? More importantly, how should health practitioners respond to the influx of ES athletes with novel injuries, enquiries and attitudes. This paper describes the results of a collaborative auto-ethnographic approach to answering “what is an extreme sports medicine health care provider and what are the components of an effective Extreme Sports Medicine (ESM) training program?” The study was conducted following the first ESM university course offered in Australia with the intention of assessing the learning design and reflecting on the development and practice of ES health practitioners. We explicated three overarching themes common to both the ES health practitioner and for the effective training of healthcare providers in the support of ES endeavors and athletes. These themes were individual, task and environmental factors. The impacts of these findings confirm that ESM courses are vital and should be designed specifically to ensure that practitioners are effectively supported to develop the unique skills necessary for practice in real world extreme sports events.

Keywords: extreme sports medicine; medical education; injury; extreme sport athlete (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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