Int J Sports Med 2021; 42(02): 112-121
DOI: 10.1055/a-1212-0649
Review

Evaluating the Implementation of Injury Prevention Strategies in Rugby Union and League: A Systematic Review using the RE-AIM Framework

1   Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
1   Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
2   Institute for Sport and Exercise Medicine, Division of Orthopaedics, Department of Surgical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
3   IOC Research Centre, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
,
1   Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
4   Rugby Football Union, Twickenham, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
,
Carly D. McKay
1   Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
5   Centre for Motivation and Health Behaviour Change, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Rugby (union and league) has come under intense scrutiny due to its injury risk. Various interventions have been introduced to protect players from injury, with many deemed efficacious and advocated for use across various worldwide contexts. However, their implementation is less clear. The objective of this systematic review was to determine whether injury prevention interventions in rugby have evaluated their ‘reach’, ‘effectiveness’, ‘adoption’, ‘implementation’ and ‘maintenance’ as per the RE-AIM Multi-Dimension Item Checklist. Six electronic databases were searched in November 2019. Inclusion criteria included: English language, peer-reviewed journal article, original research, field-based rugby code, prospective intervention. Of the 4253 studies identified, 74 met the full inclusion criteria. Protective equipment, predominately mouthguards, was the intervention of interest in 44 studies. Other interventions included multimodal national injury prevention programmes, law changes and neuromuscular training programmes. ‘Effectiveness’ was the highest scoring RE-AIM dimension (55%), followed by ‘reach’ (26%). All other RE-AIM dimensions scored below 20%. Research currently focuses on determining intervention ‘effectiveness’. For injury prevention strategies to have their desired impact, there must be a shift to address all determinants associated with implementation. Consideration should be given to how this can be achieved by adopting specific reporting checklists, research frameworks and study designs.

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 19 February 2020

Accepted: 14 June 2020

Article published online:
28 July 2020

© 2020. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
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