The Role of Pre-Participation Assessment (PPA) and Screening in Handball

Abstract

The primary role of the pre-participation assessment (PPA) is to allow the team medical staff to get to know the current health status of the handball players in their team. This will usually include reviewing the player’s current medical problems and injuries, endeavouring to pick up unreported medical problems or symptoms, checking family history and reviewing medications and/or supplements.

Other medical-related activities can also be included in the PPA, such as injury or illness prevention initiatives, education and completing any precompetition forms or travel visa paperwork.

The PPA is also an opportunity for players to ask questions or discuss medical concerns and for medical staff to get to know players better.

Although the PPA is often referred to as a ‘screening medical’ by players and medical staff, strictly speaking, this is inaccurate as screening activities only constitute one part of the PPA. The commonest reported screening activities are cardiac screening and musculoskeletal screening, but screening for minor medical problems that might affect performance is often performed. The role of the screening as part of a PPA is discussed in this article.

There is no universal template for a handball PPA that will suit all teams. Medical staff should first identify the goals of the PPA and then tailor the components of the PPA to the population being studied and the available resources. It is recommended that a clear plan on what to do with the results of any screening activities (particularly any ‘abnormal’ results) is established prior to the start of screening.