AMS for Massage Therapists
What is the Athlete Management System?
The Athlete Management System (AMS) is a web-based platform designed to capture information from a variety of sources including athlete training and competition data, health related information and administrative records among other things. The AMS allows professionals that work with an athlete or a team to have real-time access to the relevant information related to their role to support performance-related decision making.
Clinical record keeping | Streamlining handovers | Central storage
Massage Therapists / Myotherapists / Soft Tissue Therapists (MTs) play a vital role in maintaining an athlete's ability to perform at their best. MTs work with athletes in various settings, from the daily training environment to international competition. The AMS provides an accessible system that can be can by accessed by performance support staff regardless of their location - the AMS can be accessed over any internet connection throughout Australia and the world.
Many athletes have more than one therapist or clinician involved in their care, particularly as they transition from their daily training environment into a camp or competition environment. The AMS allows clinical information to be shared in a way that was difficult beforehand, streamlining the process of handover between clinicians. The AMS meets medicolegal requirements for clinical record keeping, allowing clinicians to record clinical notes in the AMS only, without the need to duplicate these in other systems.
The AMS does a lot more than capture and securely store therapeutic information; however, this course will focus on what a MT needs to know about using the AMS to support their work with athletes in the Australian high performance sport system.
The Basics - Getting Started
A web browser and an internet connection is all you need to access the AMS.
Chrome & Firefox are the recommended browsers.
Please note: Internet Explorer or Safari should not be used.
Logging In
Click the button to head over to the AMS Website on your computer or tabular device.
- Open the link to the AMS (see above) and bookmark this page.
- Login using the username and password provided by your sport.
- Verify your identity with the code sent to your mobile phone.
- It is recommend that you change your password upon your first login.
Terms and Conditions
If you do not receive a validation code, you may need to have your contact details updated. Contact your sport’s AMS manager or ams@ausport.gov.au
Forms for Massage Therapists
Determining which form to use
Once an athlete has been selected, the next step is to determine which form to use. MTs should keep all their consultation records in Soft Tissue Note forms.
Injury Record and Maintenance Rx and Handover forms are used by AHPRA registered clinicians (such as physiotherapists and doctors) to document information from their athlete interactions not related to a specific injury. The Maintenance Rx and Handovers section can be used by MTs to note any specific information regarding an athlete for the purpose of handovers that might not relate directly to any one specific massage session.
Soft Tissue Notes
The Soft Tissue Notes should be used to document all consultations with an athlete during which massage services are provided.
Creating a Soft Tissue Note
- Select 'New Soft Tissue Note' from the left sidebar
- Check that the appropriate day and time are listed (if relevant – e.g. for a treatment session, athlete-related meeting, etc)
- Select the Treatment Type and area of the body being treated.
- Select whether you performed another type of treatment and enter your treatment notes into the free-text box.
Shared Notes
Information documented in Shared Notes will be visible to other members of the High Performance team.
Any text recorded in the Shared Notes section will be visible to selected members of the high performance team.
This section is intended to be used as a platform to communicate information regarding an athlete without sharing confidential or irrelevant aspects of the athlete interaction with coaches and performance support team members.
An example of what might be documented in the Shared Notes section includes advice given to an athlete to follow-up with another member of the performance support team (e.g. referring an athlete to a physiotherapist for further clinical assessment). Using the shared notes in this way can help to facilitate communication within the performance team, though should not replace direct communication altogether.
Saving the Soft Tissue Note
When the required notes are completed, select the appropriate "Save" option from the buttons along the top right-hand side of the screen.
A note on injuries
The AIS AMS Data Dictionary defines an injury as:
“Tissue damage or other derangement of normal physical function due to participation in sports, resulting from rapid or repetitive transfer of kinetic energy that results in an athlete receiving medical attention.”
MTs are often the primary contact point for athletes who are feeling sore, have sustained a new injury or are concerned that they have flared up a pre-existing injury.
If an athlete is presenting with a complaint that you feel might fit the injury definition above, please ensure:
- The physiotherapist or doctor associated with the athlete's sports program or institute is made aware, and
- That the athlete has been encouraged to seek appropriate clinical assessment with a physiotherapist or medical professional.
Maintenance Treatment & Handover Notes
The Maintenance Rx and Handovers form can be used by MTs to document handover information that is not related specifically to any one massage consultation.
Massage therapists have the option of recording handover information via either:
- Soft Tissue Notes - for handovers specifically targeted towards other MTs
- Maintenance Rx & Handovers - for handing over clinical information that might also be relevant to the physiotherapist or doctor
Some examples of the type of information that a handover note might include are listed below:
- Providing a summary of an athlete's competition needs/preferences when on tour
- Outlining any specific requirements or preferences for other MTs to be aware of when treating an athlete (e.g. "athlete requires a pillow under hips when lying prone", "athlete does not like a certain type of massage cream")
Creating a Maintenance Rx or Handover record
- Select New Maintenance Rx and Handovers from the left sidebar
- Select the appropriate day and time (if relevant – e.g. for a treatment session, athlete-related meeting, etc)
- Select reason for taking notes (handover)
- Type notes into the free-text box
Shared Notes
Any text recorded in the Shared Notes section will be visible to selected members of the high performance team.
This section is intended to be used as a platform to communicate information regarding an athlete without sharing confidential or irrelevant aspects on the athlete interaction with coaches and performance support team members.
An example of what might be documented in the Shared Notes section includes advice given to an athlete to follow-up with another member of the performance support team. Using the shared notes in this way can help to facilitate communication within the performance team, though should not replace direct communication altogether.
Saving Maintenance Rx and Handovers
When the required notes are completed, select the appropriate "Save" option from the buttons along the top right-hand side of the screen.
Clinical Attachments
Often during the treatment process, other forms of documentation are recorded, stored or are useful to have associated with the medicolegal consultation notes. Such items might include imaging reports, referral letters, exercise/rehabilitation programs, return-to-sport plans, gym programs, etc.
Attachments related to clinical services can be found on the left hand sidebar as demonstrated in the video below. The types of attachments you have access to will depend on your qualification and your role with the athlete in relation to the sport.