Objectives To determine professional footballers’ level of understanding of the purpose of the precompetition medical assessment (PCMA) and to evaluate their knowledge of potential outcomes following a PCMA, including disqualification. Methods Professional footballers from the Australasian A-League and Westfield W-League were asked to complete a 25-question survey. The relationship between dichotomised outcomes and explanatory variables was analysed with multivariate logistic regression; p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 212 players participated (response rate=48.8%). Most respondents selected ‘ To detect medical conditions that may affect performance ’ and ‘ To detect current injuries ’ (n=137, 64.6%; n=130, 61.3%) as the purpose of a PCMA. Approximately one-third (n=74, 38.1%) were neutral or believed that a normal PCMA prevented cardiac arrest. Receiving more PCMAs (p<0.0003) and receiving an explanation during their PCMA (p=0.0175) led to greater awareness of the assessment’s limitations. Most participants did not know the definitions of syncope (n=181, 93.3%) or Marfan syndrome (n=183, 94.3%). Fifty players (28.1%) did not know that disqualification was a possible outcome of a PCMA, and younger players were less aware of this possible outcome (p=0.0216). Conclusion Professional footballers appear to have a limited understanding of the purpose of a PCMA, emphasising the musculoskeletal system and performance. They also appear unfamiliar with the components of the PCMA and medical terms. Finally, many are unaware that disqualification can result from an abnormal PCMA. Player health knowledge must be improved; the informed consent process appears an ideal time to provide this education.

中文翻译：

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职业足球运动员对赛前体检和包括取消资格在内的可能结果了解有限：一项横断面调查

目标 确定职业足球运动员对赛前体检 (PCMA) 目的的理解程度，并评估他们对 PCMA 后潜在结果的了解，包括取消资格。方法 澳大拉西亚 A 联赛和韦斯特菲尔德 W 联赛的职业足球运动员被要求完成一项包含 25 个问题的调查。采用多元逻辑回归分析二分结果与解释变量之间的关系；p<0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。结果共有212名选手参加（回复率=48.8%）。大多数受访者选择“检测可能影响表现的医疗状况”和“检测当前伤害”（n=137, 64.6%；n=130, 61.3%）作为 PCMA 的目的。大约三分之一（n=74, 38. 1%) 是中性的或认为正常的 PCMA 可以防止心脏骤停。接受更多的 PCMA (p<0.0003) 并在他们的 PCMA 期间接受解释 (p=0.0175) 导致对评估局限性的更大认识。大多数参与者不知道晕厥（n=181, 93.3%）或马凡综合征（n=183, 94.3%）的定义。50 名球员 (28.1%) 不知道取消资格是 PCMA 的可能结果，年轻球员不太了解这种可能的结果 (p=0.0216)。结论 职业足球运动员似乎对 PCMA 的目的了解有限，强调肌肉骨骼系统和表现。他们似乎也不熟悉 PCMA 的组成部分和医学术语。最后，许多人不知道取消资格可能是由异常的 PCMA 造成的。球员健康知识必须提高；