Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada are the latest member associations to benefit from the football medicine courses offered by the FIFA Medical & Anti‑Doping Department.
Starting in Barbados on 19 September, each member association will undertake an extensive, two-day training course run by two FIFA instructors from South America and one member of the FIFA Medical and Anti-Doping Department aimed at improving the level of football medicine and ensuring the best level of care for all players – everywhere.
The courses are aimed at informing medical representatives from the associations and the respective regions about the newest treatments for football-related injuries and best practices for injury prevention, as well as transferring knowledge about tournament medical services and requirements.
FIFA instructor Dr André Pedrinelli said, “This is a wonderful FIFA initiative to spread our ideas on how to take care of our players”.
A wide range of topics will be covered, such as the role of the team doctor, minimum stadium medical requirements, injury prevention, pre-competition medical assessments, concussion, and anti-doping.
A series of practical workshops will also be held to focus on clinical examination techniques, case studies, demonstrations of injury prevention programmes and exercises, and assessments of injuries.
Emergency football medicine, including sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), will be a key topic. Participants will be taught how to remove injured players from the field of play as well as how to manage neck injuries and handle concussion. SCA training will include spotting the signs of an SCA, emergency treatment steps, as well as preventive measures with hands-on training on CPR and how to use a defibrillator. SCA awareness posters will also be distributed.
In addition, the participants will be informed about the FIFA Diploma in Football Medicine, a free online course with 42 modules written by international experts designed to help anyone learn how to diagnose and manage common football-related injuries and illnesses.