What to tell the media—or not: consensus guidelines for sports physicians

Box 1 From Good Medical Practice (2006) 1 If you are asked to provide information about patients you must: inform patients about the disclosure, or check that they have already received information about it; anonymise data where unidentifiable data will serve the purpose; be satisfied that patients know about disclosures necessary to provide their care, or for local clinical audit of that care, that they can object to these disclosures but have not done so; seek patients' express consent to disclosure of information, where identifiable data is needed for any purpose other than the provision of care or for clinical audit - save in the exceptional circumstances described in this booklet; keep disclosures to the minimum necessary; and keep up to date with and observe the requirements of statute and common law, including data protection legislation. [...]if you announce which particular surgeon is involved, then the journalists will contact the surgeon directly for information, or if the treating hospital is named they will camp there waiting for more information and photographs.