Web Based Pilot

NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS) Web Enhancement Project

After a two-year pilot and evaluation period, the NCAA will convert to a Web-based injury data collection system for 17 sports in August 2004. Data collection will be possible over the entire academic year, not just the traditional sport season, so that the out-of-season conditioning, nontraditional seasons and other activities can be monitored. More sports will be added to the system over the next few years.

The NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS) has been a vital component in the Association?s risk-management, policy-development and rules-making processes since 1982. It is also recognized as the largest continuous collection of college athletics injury data in the world. These data have been used by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, NCAA legal counsel and various sports and rules committees as a foundation for decision making. Annually, 400-500 schools volunteer, through their athletic trainers, to provide the NCAA with injury data on 16 sports via paper forms. However, this method of data collection is costly and inefficient in light of current technologies.

Web-based electronic exchange of injury surveillance data is a new technology that enhances the quantity and quality of, and real-time access to injury information. A recent NCAA survey of member institutions concluded that the membership has the established technical capability and the expressed interest to support a Web-based electronic exchange of injury information.

Goals of the Web-Based Enhancement:

Provide a sound medical, legal and statistical foundation for Association health and safety policy.
Create a data collection system that is cost effective, efficient, flexible, functional and takes advantage of current technology.
Allow participation by every NCAA institution.
Provide an opportunity for injury tracking of every NCAA sport and out-of-season athletics activity.
Provide current and accurate information to the membership, media and public.

Highlights:

Costs nothing for institutions to participate while commercial injury data collection systems cost between $500 and $1,000 per school plus maintenance and upgrade fees.
Creates a real-time electronic medical/legal record for athletic trainers and administrators.
Eliminates duplication of recording data and mailing forms; the electronic record simultaneously fills the aggregate divisional and national data base for the NCAA.
Monitors injuries over the entire academic year.
Monitors both athletics and non-athletics injuries and illnesses.
Allows real-time ability to update injury assessments.
Allows the option to associate injuries with specific individuals (rosters) for any sport.
Allows real-time access to individual school data for reports or modifications.
Includes National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) development of conditioning and weight-lifting questions.
Provides detailed individual school final reports that can be customized by each user.
Provides detailed national, divisional and (where applicable) conference summary reports for comparison.
Contributes to the Association?s commitment to student-athlete welfare by providing national, divisional and conference data upon which to base rules and policy.

Applications:

Individual School Uses: Each school must make decisions regarding allocation of sports-medicine resources and personnel during times of simultaneous activities. For example, should a single available athletic trainer staff a women?s ice hockey game, a wrestling practice or a men?s basketball practice? Knowing the specific injury risk of each activity provides a foundation for the decision?maker. The NATA Guidelines on Appropriate Medical Care in Intercollegiate Athletics has developed evaluation criteria with formulas using national ISS data. Inserting individual school data into this formula may provide a better decision-making tool.

Conference Participation: Conferences may choose to participate as a group with either aggregate or individual school data going to a designated group or individual.

Conference Grants: Divisions II and III conference grants are available to address technology and health and safety issues. Some conferences have considered using these dollars to acquire commercial injury data collection systems that can cost between $500 and $1,000 per school plus maintenance and upgrade fees. Since the Web-based ISS will be of no financial cost to participating schools, an alternative use of these funds may be to upgrade hardware in the athletic training room and establish high-speed Internet connections for these machines. Contact your conference commissioner for more information.

National and Divisional Uses: National and divisional totals will be annually reviewed by appropriate NCAA sports rules committees and the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to assist in health and safety rules-making and policy development.

Research Uses: Once the aggregate data accumulates, a mechanism will be created to allow access to aggregate data at a level greater than final reports. Specific details of the requests will be evaluated and, if approved, data will be sent to the researcher in a form that can be integrated into graphs or statistical tables.

Confidentiality:

HIPPA and FERPA concerns have been addressed through an ISS Student-Athlete Consent Form that will be a part of the annual compliance package required of all student-athletes each fall. The form acknowledges that protected health information will be collected through the NCAA?s Injury Surveillance System and shared with relevant NCAA committees and researchers as a resource upon which to base health and safety rules and policy. It also acknowledges that these data will be used in aggregate and no individual or school will be identified.

System Requirements:

The ISS works best using minimal browser versions Internet Explorer 5.5, Netscape 6.0, or Mozilla.

Summary:

The ISS is a vital risk-management component of the Association?s student-athlete welfare commitment.

As noted by Elsa Cole, NCAA legal counsel: ?Monitoring the effectiveness of current health and safety policies and influencing future decisions depend upon an updated, inclusive surveillance system. Protection from legal liability for the Association?s action or inaction in an area of sport safety can be obtained best from data that is scientifically and statistically sound and collected on all sports.?

The NCAA encourages your participation in the new Web-based ISS.

More Information: Please see the ISS Web Site at www.ncaa.org/iss or contact Randy Dick, NCAA Associate Director Research / Injury Surveillance System, at (317) 917-6222 ext 6320 or rdick@ncaa.org .