Preparticipation examinations for varsity female athletes: The Canadian healthcare practitioners' perspectives.

Authors

Jenna M Schulz, Samantha J Adler, Heather Dart, Mohammed Khaled, Tina Tannous, Jane S Thornton

Published in

Journal of science and medicine in sport. Jun 19, 2026. Epub Jun 19, 2026.

Abstract

Preparticipation examinations (PPEs) are widely used in sport to gather baseline health data before a competitive season. However, content is not standardized across institutions and is often not tailored to health needs of female athletes.
1) Identify which female athlete-specific health concerns healthcare practitioners (HCPs) consider clinically relevant and important to include in PPEs, and 2) explore HCPs' comfort levels in addressing these concerns.
A cross-sectional survey was distributed to HCPs who had worked with Canadian university varsity female athletes within the past five years. The survey included multiple-choice and open-ended questions across five domains: pelvic, menstrual, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), training/musculoskeletal (MSK), and mental health. Quantitative responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data via conventional content analysis.
HCPs (n = 55) reported that PPEs most commonly addressed mental (87%), followed by menstrual (74%), MSK (69%), REDs (63%), and pelvic health (33%). Eighty-one percent (n = 45) believed that all domains were very important to include on PPEs, with questions surrounding eating behavior/eating disorders, menstrual regularity (96%), eating behavior/eating disorders (98%), mental health (94%), surgery history (100%) and pelvic dysfunction (88%) rated most important within each domain. Qualitative responses indicated variability in comfort discussing these topics; those more comfortable viewed these issues as integral to sport and well-being, while discomfort was linked to lack of training or resources. Some male HCPs perceived sex/gender-based communication barriers.
Inclusion and prioritization of female athlete-specific health topics vary among HCPs in Canadian University Sport. A comprehensive PPE may enhance trust and communication with athletes.

PMID:
42448492
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.