Screening for heart disease in athletes by athletic trainers and sports physical therapists.

CONTEXT Sudden cardiac death in athletes may be preventable if healthcare providers perform a thorough screening of the cardiovascular system during routine athlete evaluations. OBJECTIVE Determine the adequacy of routine screening of athletes for heart disease by athletic trainers (ATs) and physical therapists (PTs). DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, SETTING, AND METHODS: National Athletic Trainers Association and Sports Physical Therapy Section members were surveyed using a stratified sampling technique via e-mail and postal mail. RESULTS ATs performed significantly higher than PTs on the composite screening score (CSS; mean of 13 items) as well as on 9 of 13 individual items. Logistic regression analysis revealed that "involvement in preparticipation screenings for sports (PPSS)" was most closely related to CSS (P < .01) and controlling for this factor in the ANOVA eliminated differences between the professions. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians working with athletes who are not involved in PPSS may not adequately screen these patients for heart disease.