Sports injury surveillance practices and data collection methods in university student athletes: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Injury surveillance is essential for the safety and protection of athletes' health. Consistent data collection methods are needed in sports injury surveillance and reporting. This systematic review aimed to identify the injury surveillance practices and data collection methods in university student athletes and to evaluate the extent to which these injury surveillance practices and data collection methods align with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify studies describing injury surveillance practices and data collection methods in university student athletes. Studies not describing university injury surveillance or that described non-athlete populations were excluded, as well as case-control, cross-sectional, retrospective cohort studies, interventions, reviews, grey literature, and non-primary research. Four databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched from January 2000 to August 2024. Potential references were recorded through Mendeley and exported to Covidence. Two reviewers (RCS and JV) independently screened studies and assessed risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. References were managed using Mendeley and Covidence. Data were analyzed descriptively, synthesized, and summarized. RESULTS: A total of 11,188 records were identified. After screening the titles, abstracts, and full texts, 50 were eligible for the systematic review. The studies were conducted across 9 countries and included a total number of 11,182 participants. Fifty-four percent of the included studies used a time-loss definition of injury, while an athletic trainer recorded the injury data (62%), and an electronic tool/web system was used to collect injury data (30%). Only 3 studies aligned with the IOC consensus statement. CONCLUSION: This review highlighted the necessity for consistent, standardized injury surveillance practices and data collection methods in university sport. Only 3 of the included studies adhered to the IOC consensus statement, which provides a methodological framework to guide injury surveillance with appropriate contextual adaptation to facilitate injury prevention at the university level.