Sports and exercise medicine in Europe and the advances in the last decade
Daniel Neunhäeuserer, Josef Niebauer, Gino Degano, Veronica Baioccato, Mats Börjesson, Maurizio Casasco, Norbert Bachl, Nicolas Christodoulou, Jürgen M. Steinacker, Theodora Papadopoulou, Fabio Pigozzi, Andrea Ermolao
Abstract
Sports and exercise medicine (SEM) is a professional qualification for physicians responsible for the health and care of athletes, but also for the functional evaluation and exercise prescription in patients with chronic diseases. SEM clinicians are involved in health promotion, screening and illness prevention for public health purposes.1 These medical specialists provide preparticipation evaluations in sports as well as comprehensive support and counselling for all those who engage in physical activity and exercise training. Although the exact role may vary in different settings and countries, key competencies of SEM-specialists have been identified including2 3: Scientific evidence clearly shows that physical exercise is one of the most important prevention strategies and cost-effective/cost-saving medical treatment options for multiple chronic diseases.4 5 Surprisingly, abilities regarding the prescription of this exercise ‘poly-pill’ is not adequately taught in medical schools or during postgraduate specialisations. Athletes from different sports and performance levels will also seek SEM specialists for medical care. We, here, report the current state of the SEM specialisation in Europe and reflect on both our advances over the last decade and contemporary challenges. Specialisation in SEM varies largely and a formal European Union (EU)-wide recognition as well as a defined role within healthcare settings have not yet been reached in many European countries. This is illustrated by the fact that a common curriculum has not yet been implemented, even though it has been recently proposed by the …