Surveying the Moral Landscape: How Ethical Frameworks Influence the Structure of Return-to-Sport Decision Making

Abstract

SYNOPSIS: Similar to all areas of health care, sports medicine has ethical considerations when making decisions—return to sport being one. Despite a general consensus on criteria to determine when an athlete is ready to return to sport, there are various scenarios that clinicians encounter that may not fall into a clear “yes” or “no” decision. These scenarios leave the clinician asking what is the “right” decision in a given circumstance? A line of questioning that invokes a moral dimension in supporting athletes when they are returning to sport. To address the moral aspect of a clinical decision, ethical frameworks and theories can guide decisions and resolve ethical dilemmas. The aim of this Viewpoint is to briefly describe 4 ethical frameworks and explore how they might apply in a clinical scenario to guide different ethical analyses and influence the final decision. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(4):230-233. Epub 14 February 2024. doi:10.2519/jospt.2024.12310