Negotiating the medicolegal minefield in sport. Big decisions, expensive players = high risk

The medico-legal spotlight is shining brightly on individuals who provide medical services for athletes. With high profile lawsuits in the USA and the UK, practitioners need to be aware of how to protect themselves from any litigation pitfalls. Mr Majid Hassan is a lawyer expert in giving advice to sports clinicians. The podcast begins by explaining how the field has changed just recently – there is much more pressure on us to explain ALL risks to patients. The key cases were not in sports medicine, but their outcomes are critical for sports medicine practice. The first specific sports case is discussed at 5 mins 30 secs. It’s about the high-profile and most unfortunate case of Radwan Hamed and Tottenham Hotspur. What’s the role of the team physician, or the cardiologist? Does reading an ECG provide a duty of care? As we take the time to analyse what happened in order to try to avoid such events, our thoughts are with all involved in this tragic case. At 12.18 @Liam_West asks whether having an athlete sign a waiver can provide the clinician with protection against future legal action. At 14:22, to close, Mr Hassan shares 4 vital tips for all clinicians: minimize risk, communicate well, have detailed notes and more, but I better not give it away here.

Our thanks to Mr Hassan, Partner in the Clinical Law Team at Capsticks Law Firm.