The NIH defines Incidental Findings as “a finding concerning an individual research participant that has potential health or reproductive importance and is discovered in the course of conducting research but is beyond the aims of the study.”

Incidental findings discovered during the conduct of research involving Stanford student athletes should be relayed to the Medical Director of the Sports Medicine Clinic, as well as to the Team Physician assigned to the team the athlete plays on. Incidental findings should be reported to the aforementioned parties within 5 days from Protocol Investigator learning of the information. Results will be conveyed to the athlete as soon as possible, but no longer than 5 working days from discovery.

Investigators working with Stanford student athletes as research participants should incorporate an “Incidental Findings” section into the protocol’s Informed Consent Form. This section should detail how incidental findings will be handled by the research team, including the members of the athlete's medical team who will be informed, as well as any protocol-specific measures that will be taken. This section should be reviewed with each athlete at the time of Informed Consent.

Please contact SaROC  at  stanford_saroc@stanford.edu  with any question.