Assessing the current medicolegal landscape in orthopedic sports medicine surgery—patient-centered communication and multidisciplinary approaches matter: A consensus statement

Introduction/Objectives

While the opportunity to provide medical care for elite-level professional and collegiate athletes is an honor and privilege, it does not come without a unique set of challenges. The team physician role continues to evolve and insights on today’s climate of team physicians’ care of elite athletes globally may be enlightening. As such, the purpose of this review is to provide a synopsis of the meeting’s key points and present the results of the survey to better delineate the effect of the medicolegal risk involved in the care of elite athletes.

Methods

An international and multidisciplinary group of experts on anterior cruciate ligament injury and sports medicine was chosen to participate on a panel at the 2024 Freddie Fu Panther Sports Medicine Symposium held at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, on June 6, 2024. The international panel included orthopaedic surgeons, primary care physicians, and scientists and focused on the medicolegal climate of sports medicine. Throughout the duration of the panel, a live questionnaire was provided to the audience, which included practitioners from 17 countries and 5 continents. The survey consisted of eight “yes/no” questions.

Results

Several themes emerged from the discussion, including differing medicolegal consequences based on geographic location, changes to documentation in response to litigation risk, and increases in personal stressors to physicians. Of the eight statements administered to the audience during the panel discussion, only three had greater than 50 ​% agreement. These statements included changes to practice based on the medicolegal climate and the effects of defensive practice on physicians and patients alike.

Conclusion

The risk of litigation in orthopaedic sports medicine surgery varies greatly based on the geographic location of the practice and is perceived to affect both patient care and providers alike. As the assessment of medical professional liability risk arising from the care of elite athletes continues to evolve, discussion among physicians, athletes, agents, and teams/clubs should be patient-centered, multidisciplinary, and undertaken with absolute professionalism, strong communication, and thorough documentation.