Peter Brukner, Scott Gardner and John Orchard on lessons from Australia

In this podcast we look at what sports and exercise medicine around the world can learn from Australia, just one of the countries where the area is thriving. Scott Gardner is an Australian sports scientist currently working in the UK, recently with British Cycling, and he describes what’s going on at the Australian Institute of Sport, and why he thinks they’re so good at training clinicians (0.45). Sports medicine in football is where John Orchard, associate professor at the University of Sydney and sports physician for Australian cricket and the Sydney Roosters, thinks the country is getting it right. He argues that politics in the English Premier League can prevent clinicians from doing their job properly, whereas those working in Australia face a much more open culture (5.24). And Peter Brukner, previously head of Sports Medicine & Sports Science at Liverpool FC and media commentator, talks about how the media and public down under are very interested in, and hence knowledgeable about, sports injuries, and how this has a positive impact for clinicians. He also gives us a round up of what other countries are doing particularly well in sports and exercise medicine (13.11). Future BJSM podcasts will put other nations under the spotlight; Phil Glasgow will share Team GB’s Olympic success story in the next installment in this series. Drs Gardner, Orchard and Brukner spoke about sports and exercise medicine in Australia at a meeting organised by the Sporting Health Group, where Harriet Vickers (BMJ’s assistant multimedia editor) recorded this podcast. See also: Who is to blame for all the football inuries? http://bit.ly/NOJQF5 On the value of team medical staff: can the “Moneyball” approach be applied to injuries in professional football? http://bit.ly/10aYJSY