For decades, schools have used an electronic platform to track information about their students related to the school day. Among the information tracked by schools has been each student’s health history – allergies, immunizations, health office visits and other similar data.

School health personnel and administrators use this information to not only provide support for students, but when changes in facilities and scheduling are being considered to better serve students and keep them healthy, happy and learning. Valuable insight into health trends, injury occurrences and wellness possibilities can be gleaned from this information.

The various platforms that track student-athlete health and injury information can provide the same insight for athletic directors, athletic trainers, coaches, parents and administrators. Falling under the broad category of Electronic Medical Records (EMR), these programs can follow a student-athlete through their school years as well as from season to season, providing the individual information needed to support each team member.

Documenting the trends in students’ health needs and injuries can help health professionals to not only better support the student and treat any immediate injuries, but also consider other factors that are affecting them on and off the field. Used in conjunction with a school athletic trainer, EMR software can provide the foundation that allows more students to participate fully throughout their high school careers.

As a means of better diagnosing and treating concussion injuries, EMRs allow the athletic trainer and/or athletic director to show how established concussion procedures are being followed. In addition, the diagnosis and treatment of other injuries, as well as the student’s recovery and return to participation, is documented and matched to existing school policies. Besides being good for a school’s athletes, having this documentation supports the school’s ability to provide quality health care support for every student.

When selecting an EMR for your school, following are some things to consider:

WHAT PLATFORM:

• Cloud-based: Accessible with proper log-in credentials through web-browsers on most devices, cloud-based platforms do not require a program installation on one computer. Data is available in school, at home, on the playing field, wherever there is internet access.
• Server-based: The program runs on a school-based network and thus is available through any computer connected to that network. Data is available just about anywhere on the school campus.
• Stand-alone: The software and its related data are available on your computer only.

WHAT INFORMATION:

Student – Athlete

• Data contains basic contact information: address, phone, parents, grade in school, past athletic history, health concerns related to participation.
• Tracks student–athlete through multiple sports and multiple school years with one entry of contact information, etc. (so that updates are part of every team or activity that student participates in).

Team/Activity Membership

• Each team or activity (marching band for example) maintains a separate roster with different data fields possible.
• Access for users is available at the team or activity level (the band director can only access his / her students in the system).
• Specifics to each team are noted in the student information (which type of helmet used, for example)

Injury Reporting

• Injuries are individually entered, but categorized for data analysis.
• A full set of information is captured for each injury report.
• Injuries can be reported by all users, not just the system administrators.

Data & Reporting

• Overall data is available in multiple views and formats for coaches and administrators.
• Various searches are possible throughout all of the data by system administrators.
• Reports can include trends.  Individual reports are available to share with other health personnel.

WHAT ELSE:

Data Importation

• The system is capable of importing data exported from other systems.

Documentation

• School policy and procedures documents are viewable in the system.
• Reports are available at all levels.

Incorporation

• Scheduling
• Inventory
• Ticketing
• Other athletic platforms

Security

• The system has enough security to keep your data safe and accurate without being too cumbersome so that others will not use it.
• The security may be matched to existing systems for your school personnel.

Besides supporting individual students and making sure that their treatment, recovery and return to the playing field is smooth and efficient, EMRs data can be beneficial to a school’s athletic trainer in identifying problem areas, equipment issues and other aspects of a student-athlete’s participation. For example, the data may show that one type of helmet is more prone to concussions than another, or that this type of injury occurs more often in practice than in games, or that more injuries occur on this field or at night than others. And by providing such data, finding support for corrective changes is much easier.

The use of Electronic Medical Records to indicate how your athletic department supports your student-athletes will enhance all aspects of their experiences and the quality of the program being offered. In conjunction with a school athletic trainer, EMRs help provide the safest possible environment for them to learn, excel and achieve.