Consent for medical information to be used for research purposes

The Institute for Sport, Exercise Medicine and Lifestyle Research of the University of Pretoria (UP), in collaboration with the Event organizers as well as the Mediclinic medical team conducts on-going research to improve race safety (protecting the health of the participant and reducing injury risk). Your participation in this research effort is to improve safety and is entirely voluntary. Please read through the Participant information, after which you will be given the opportunity to consent. Hereby you agree that your anonymized information in the medical questionnaire can be included in research studies. You may be contacted about participating in other components of the research project that relate to muscle cramps and injuries.

Participant information of the research studies

The main aim of these studies is to determine if there are any factors that can be identified before the race that will predict whether a participant is likely to develop a medical problem during or after the race. The details of the studies are as follows:

  • At the race entry and registration, a web-based (or a paper-based) questionnaire detailing personal particulars and medical information will be completed as part of the race entry and race registration requirements.
  • The completion of a questionnaire is not associated with any risk. Questionnaire and other clinical data (paper and electronic) will be kept confidential, will be kept secure, and will not be made available to any party other than the medical and research team without the consent of the individual participant.
  • You may be contacted before or after the race (by telephone or email), for further information, advice and participation in research related to injuries or a medical condition (such as cramps) that you developed before, during or after the race.
  • Volunteering to make medical information available for ongoing research has no direct benefit to an individual participant. However, the long term anticipated benefits of this research are to identify factors that may predispose an increased risk of medical consequences and injury in endurance participants. This information will eventually assist participants in decreasing their risk of medical complications and injuries during racing and training.

Consent to participate in the research study

  • I understand that I am free to volunteer to participate in the study on pre-race predictors (including medical history, medication use, and injuries) of medical complications that may occur in participants before, during and immediately after the race.
  • I understand that my participation in this research project may have no direct benefits to me during the race. However, I understand that my participation in the research project will advance the medical and scientific knowledge related to endurance sports. Therefore, information gathered through my participation in this project could advance the future medical care, training advice and performance of endurance cyclists.
  • I have read the participant information and am satisfied that the procedures and concepts have been explained to me in full.
  • I agree that all the questionnaire information, my performance during the race, together with all the other data collected from the various components of this study may be used to answer scientific questions about the medical conditions, injuries, physiological responses and measures of performance associated with the preparation, participation in and completion of a race.
  • I have been informed that the individual data derived from my participation will remain confidential.
  • I understand that the data obtained from this study may be used for the research components of higher degrees at the University of Pretoria.
  • I understand that the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria has approved the protocol for this research study (Ethics Reference No.: 823/2020).
  • I understand that I can contact members of the research team at racedoctor@mediclinic.co.za should I have any questions related to the study.
  • I hereby consent to participate in this study, and that I can be contacted in future for information about research studies on injuries and medical conditions.
  • I understand that I may withdraw from this study at any time without further question.