With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many industries have come to a halt. Whether it’s healthcare or school, every facet of society seems to be facing the brunt of a global crisis. Considering the dilemma at hand, many athletes have had their games postponed or canceled altogether due to concerns regarding safety and hygiene during these trying times. And even in the rare circumstances that players may have the opportunity to compete, screening is of utmost importance to sustain all health protocol. As nice as it sounds, this monitoring is often time-consuming, expensive, and infeasible for many young athletes to use for themselves and implement in the stadiums they play in. In an effort to resolve some of these issues, TeamSnap has presented the athletic community with a convenient choice: Health Check. 

Revolutionizing the sports care industry and offering thousands of athletes the chance to get back on the field, Health Check is a newly developed screening tool which is available at no cost and is self-administered. Released in late August, the app is meant to help provide some support and guidance for players across the country during the tough times COVID-19 has presented the world, and more specifically, to athletes. The app itself is a questionnaire that must be administered and completed eight hours before any event. This time period is meant to ensure that the results recorded are as accurate as possible, thereby reflecting the most recent readings for that specific player. Health Check asks its users a series of four questions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to verify if patients may be experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. 

As manufactured by the major media company, TeamSnap, Health Check has a target audience of well over 23 million users, all of which can now utilize this new software in a quick and efficient way to get the results they need. This truly is a tool which has gone great lengths to achieve the company’s mission of mitigating risk for various sports organizations, as TeamSnap states that this software is “the first COVID-19 screening tool to be fully embedded into a sport management platform.” Health Check is versatile, as it is available for use on a variety of devices at a moment’s notice. The company also mentions that it is “the only platform to leverage live engagement data to track the return to play across North America.” By taking national readings and making its product accessible for a vast majority of Americans, TeamSnap has accomplished integrating the healthcare and biotechnology industries with one another in a seamless way. 

When you first download the app, you are able to view any upcoming games, events, or practice sessions as uploaded by your coach or instructor. The information here will include the date and time of the event, as well as a status regarding whether or not your Health Check is complete. Once you have clicked start on the test, TeamSnap encourages users to answer the questions as accurately as possible. The questions ask about players’ temperatures in the past ten days, positive results from COVID-19 tests, contact with anyone showing symptoms, and symptoms the athletes themselves might be experiencing including, but not limited to—cough, loss of smell or taste, runny nose, shortness of breath, and/or sore throat. After completing the questionnaire, players will be directed to their results—either a green screen verifying an approved Health Check status with their name and date, or a white screen, telling them that they did not pass the test and discouraging them from attending the event. An enhancement to the player-algorithm interaction here is Health Check’s usability for coaches and managers as well, who can track results via their schedule and can view their players’ failed, incomplete, or cleared results in an orderly fashion. Integrity and privacy is of top priority to TeamSnap, as results from the players’ readings will always be uploaded directly to their coaches’ profile shortly after they take the assessment. Coaches are the only individuals who have access to the highly personal health readings of their athletes, further ensuring data security and making the app even more appealing for people of all ages. 

In a time where regular health screenings have become the new normal, the athletic community has welcomed TeamSnap’s Health Check with open arms, as several schools, sports teams, and stadiums have begun using the software to clear their athletes. Although we find ourselves amidst a global pandemic, you very well may be able to get back on the court – after you’re cleared.