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School for Health, Unit Catalogue 2008/09


FH50073 Doping, ethics and the law

Credits: 6
Level: Masters
Modular: no specific semester
Assessment: ES 50%, OT 50%
Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
This unit aims to:
* encourage exploration of the motivation for taking performance enhancing and therapeutic substances and the reasons for their control
* provide an up to date reference to current controls relating to performance enhancing and therapeutic substances
* promote discussion of ethical dilemmas and the law as they apply to sport and medicine and the relationship of sport to society and to government.
Knowledge and Understanding: After taking this unit the student should be able to:
* Discuss the possible ethical dilemmas between the doctor and others involved in sport and the role of sport in society.
* Critically analyse the relationship between sport and politics and the impact of recent legislation on sport provision with reference to the historical context of drug abuse.
* Explain the consequences of breaking the law that relates to sport and medicine and advise on the appropriate steps to protect both medical practitioners, athletes and patients in law.
* Explain drug testing procedures during the competition and the training period, the penalties and the appeals procedure and the responsibilities of athletes, doctors and coaches.
* Critically interpret the WADA Code and the WADA list of banned substances for the purpose of providing effective medical support for athletes.
Skills:
On completion of this unit students should be able to:
* Plan and manage their own learning through reflecting on and analysing their own learning needs.
* Integrate and critically evaluate information gathered from a wide range of resources including the unit resource book, text books, journal articles, web pages and other online resources. An appreciation for a hierarchy of evidence should be displayed.
* Communicate effectively with colleagues and tutors through asynchronous online discussions.
Content:
Ethical dilemmas between the doctor and others involved in sport, the role of sport in society, the relationship between sport and politics and the impact of recent legislation on sport provision. The law as it relates to sport, the consequences of breaking the law and appropriate steps to protect yourself and your patients in law. The historical abuse of drugs in sport, the current list of banned substances and why they are banned, permitted drugs and signs of drug abuse. Testing procedures during competition and the training period, the penalties, appeals procedure and the responsibilities of athletes, doctors and coaches.
* History and meaning of doping - definition of doping and its history
* Athletes and drugs - reasons why athletes take drugs, clinical signs and symptoms
* Responsibilities - responsibilities of everyone involved in sport to discourage drug use in the interests of good health and fair competition
* Testing procedures - management of testing, in and out of competition, procedure for analysis of samples and implications for a positive rest in terms of sanctions and appeals
* Ethical dilemmas - confidentiality in sports medicine, rights of an individual, conflict between justifiable medical treatment and the doping regulations
* The law and sports medicine - laws of sport and their context within national laws. Professional ethical standards and their enforcement. The doctor-patient relationship and the doctor's responsibility in law
* Core legal issues and administration - legal issues of vicarious liability and misdiagnosis and the need to protect the patient from himself/herself
* Sport and society - sport in the context of politics, national culture, gender, children and social class. Competitive and recreational sport and need for education of sports coaches
* Sports Administration - administration of sport in the UK.