2014 Female Athlete Triad Coalition consensus statement on treatment and return to play of the female athlete triad: 1st International Conference held in San Francisco, CA, May 2012, and 2nd International Conference held in Indianapolis, IN, May 2013.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Expert consensus statement and clinical practice guideline without primary empirical data or a systematic review.
PubMed 24569429 · doi:10.1097/JSM.0000000000000085
What was done
An expert panel developed consensus recommendations across two international symposia (San Francisco in May 2012 and Indianapolis in May 2013) to establish clinical practice guidelines for the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and return-to-play clearance of athletes with the Female Athlete Triad. The statement was endorsed by the Female Athlete Triad Coalition, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.
What was found
The abstract reports no empirical numbers or quantitative trial results. It describes a clinical consensus framework that includes a risk-stratification point system based on risk magnitude to guide physician decision-making, formal clearance categories, multidisciplinary team management protocols, and the implementation of treatment contracts.
Why it matters
This consensus provides standardized, risk-stratified guidance for sports medicine clinicians and athletic trainers evaluating female athletes presenting with low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, or low bone mineral density.
Limits
The abstract reports no primary clinical outcome data, prospective validation of the proposed risk-stratification score, or diagnostic accuracy metrics. As an expert consensus statement, it reflects panel opinion and clinical practice recommendations rather than controlled experimental findings.
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