Established in 1982, the NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS) has been a foundation for Association health and safety decision-making.

Information gathered from the system has been applied to a variety of sport-specific policy issues such as protecting the long snapper in football, addressing skin infections in wrestling and minimizing concussions in a variety of sports. ISS data also has been used in several research papers applicable to collegiate athletics, such as prevention of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

Despite those successes, the system is in need of upgrading, particularly with regard to technology. Currently, injury information is recorded on paper forms at the institution, mailed to the NCAA and then entered into the main database by hand. Limitations include data-input inefficiencies, restricted participation within and across sports and timely access to data for analysis and application.

With the granting of Association-wide funding for the 2001-02 fiscal year, the formal enhancement of the ISS has begun. ISS enhancement in the form of a Web-based information transfer system will expand sampling to allow participation by every school, every sport and every participant. The technology will increase the efficiency and accuracy of data reporting. This results in a sound medical, legal and statistical foundation for Association health and safety policy, while providing each member institution with specific information upon which to base institutional health and safety decisions. The enhanced system also will create a national pool of information for access and application by member institutions and other interested parties.

Recognizing the benefits to both individual schools and the Association, ISS enhancement has been the No. 1 priority of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports over the last three years. The committee has taken an active oversight role in the system's enhancements, while also using a variety of external scientific and medical consultants, including continuous input from the system's primary data providers, athletic trainers. Relevant NCAA sport and sport rules committees also will be consulted to customize information to the needs of the particular sport.

As part of the justification for this project, a survey of member institutions in all three divisions was conducted. Results showed that:

Ninety-four percent of schools had a computer in the athletic training room, and 91 percent of the computers had Internet access.

Fifty percent of schools had no formal injury tracking mechanism.

Ninety-one percent of respondents were interested in participating in the ISS if an efficient data transfer system was provided.

The membership has the established technical capability and the expressed interest to support a Web-based electronic exchange of injury information.

Pilot testing currently is being performed on the basics of the system and an updated report on progress will be shared with athletic trainers at the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) national meeting in Dallas. The session is tentatively planned for June 17 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Next fall, the current paper-form system will be maintained for most sports, while a few will be piloted using the Web-based format. The following year, most if not all data collection will be through the Web. Out-of-season activities and new sports will be added in subsequent years. Improved features include daily coaches' reports, flexible final reports and easy access to aggregate data for research and application.

New technology and a commitment from the competitive-safeguards committee is providing a new meaning to the acronym ISS -- information speedy and secure. In a few years it should provide even more important information for the Association in its health and safety policy decisions.