GPs get ready, set, go to prescribe sport
Doctors are a step closer to prescribing sport this month as a new law officially includes it as a non-medical treatment.
The new law was piloted through parliament by Socialist MP and Junior Minister Valérie Fourneyron, who is also a qualified doctor, specialising in sports medicine.
“Trials have shown sports are effective when treating a range of diseases, from cancer to diabetes,” she said.
Doctors will now receive training on how to prescribe sport, which will only be available to ALD patients (Les Affections de Longue Durée) with major long-term diseases.
“In the past, for example, diabetics were often told not to do sport, but it can be therapeutic.
“So as well as training doctors, we have to educate patients to understand that sport can be an important part of treatment.”
Patients prescribed sporting activities will not be directed to ordinary sports sessions, or gyms filled with already-fit people, but will instead be directed to specialist sessions run by sports therapists, who will tailor activities to each patient’s physical condition.
An entire range of activities will be available.
The idea is that as patients get fitter and more active doing their prescribed activity, they will be encouraged to join mainstream sporting clubs and associations, both for the joy of it and to protect their health.
The array of sports will include jogging and archery through to yoga and sessions using gym equipment. The prescribing doctor will suggest a selection of sports and the final choice will be made with the patient.
Paying for sports sessions will be organised at a local level.
“Some mutuelles will reimburse the costs, and in other cases, the sports sessions will be organised by local authorities or associations, so it will never be reimbursed like an operation or a visit to the GP, but we hope to create networks open to everyone,” Ms Fourneyron said.
The law provides for the scheme to be available all over France, but Ms Fourneyron is realistic about the time-scale.
“This really is a huge revolution, starting on January 1.
Regions like Strasbourg, which have already been trialling the scheme, are ahead of those places which haven’t started yet, so it will take some time before it really is available all over the country, but it is definitely on the way.”
Trials have been very successful, showing specially adapted sports can result in improvements including lower anxiety, less pain, and improved blood pressure.
As adapted sports for people with chronic serious ailments have been shown to be cheaper than medication and have no negative side effects, she expects sport prescriptions to become increasingly common.
