Study: Athletic Trainers Need Better Methods Of Dealing With Asthma

April 29, 2009 8:06 a.m. EST

Columbus, Ohio (AHN) - A new report from Ohio State University suggests that many college athletic trainers are poorly equipped to deal with athletes suffering from asthma.

Researchers sent electronic questionnaires related to the diagnosis and management of exercise-induced asthma to 3,200 trainers in the National Collegiate Athletic Association sports medicine programs.

More than a fifth of the 541 responses indicated that they had an asthma management protocol at their school, and slightly more said they had a pulmonologist on staff, according to an Ohio State press release.

About 17 percent said they screened their athletes for asthma, 39 percent said that a rescue inhaler does not have to be available at all practices and 41 percent said an inhaler isn't needed at all games.

"The results suggest an overwhelming majority of NCAA sports medicing programs are not adhering to national asthma guidelines, established by the National Institutes of Health, which emphasize education, management protocols and medical professional involvement for their athletes with asthma," Jonathan Parsons, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine at Ohio State, said in a statement.