CURRENT PHYSICIAN KNOWLEDGE OF THE THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTIONS (TUE)

PURPOSE: Only physicians are allowed to sign the Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) of the prohibited lists (PL) in national and international sports organizations. Review of literature has reported the important role physicians play in the TUE process. These studies have involved different physicians with different degrees of knowledge throughout the world. Physicians have different degrees of attitudes about doping and beliefs about prevention. The literature was reviewed to determine the current knowledge of practicing physicians of the TUE. METHODS: Several online medical databases were accessed by computer literature search for studies from 1996 to 2024 in order to identify available publications for all studies of measurements of practicing physician knowledge of the TUE. The publications were reviewed and included in the analysis if data or discussion was included concerning physician knowledge of the TUE during the time of the published studies. Publications that were in English or translatable to English were included in the evaluation of physician knowledge of the TUE. RESULTS: Over seventy five studies were identified. Many studies stress the important role physicians place in the TUE process. Many studies also noted multiple times with each study that physician education was critical to a successful TUE program. However, no study to date has actively measure physician knowledge of the TUE. Additionally, no study has measured the effect of an educational intervention on physicians or Athlete Support Personal knowledge of the TUE CONCLUSIONS: Physician knowledge of the TUE has not been measured or studied and may be limited and doping issues are encountered daily by practicing physicians. Further research and education is recommended since only physicians are allowed to sign the Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE) of substances on the Prohibited Lists (PL).