SAFE Approach

It is essential that the members of the medical team ensure that it is safe to approach the injured player. The SAFE approach is as follows:

• Shout for help
• Assess the scene
• Free from danger
• Evaluate the player

When entering the field of play ensure your medical team know you are attending to a player and ensure that the officials are made aware. Is it safe, has play moved away or the game stopped? It is important to understand that safety is dynamic in time and place and not confined to a single assessment at the beginning of the incident.

When attending to injured players on the pitch, it is vital that correct clothing is worn for safety and ease of identification. Wearing a brightly coloured bib may assist in the officials being aware you are on the pitch. Wearing clinical gloves on both hands prior to the incident will save time in preparation when needing to attend to a player and will also ensure protection of yourself, especially when dealing with bodily fluids e.g. blood.

Once in the medical room it is important to ensure that personal protective equipment(PPE) is used as required. All sharps must be disposed of in the sharps bins and clinical waste deposited in orange/yellow clinical waste bags.