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. 2021 Dec 2;16(6):1548-1565.
doi: 10.26603/001c.29850. eCollection 2021.

Perceived Management of Acute Sports Injuries and Medical Conditions by Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists

Alan Wallace  1 , Matthew S Briggs  2 , James Onate  3 , John DeWitt  3 , Laurie Rinehart-Thompson  4
Affiliations

Perceived Management of Acute Sports Injuries and Medical Conditions by Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists

Alan Wallace et al. Int J Sports Phys Ther. .

Abstract

Background: While Athletic Trainers' (ATs) education emphasizes sport event coverage, Physical Therapists' (PTs) education may prepare them for event coverage responsibilities. The objectives of this study were to compare the perceived preparedness and decision-making related to acute injury/medical condition management among ATs and PTs and evaluate the relationship between perceived preparedness and decision-making.

Hypothesis: ATs would report greater perceived preparedness and appropriate decision-making related to acute injury/medical conditions compared to PTs.

Study design: Cross-sectional, Online survey.

Methods: An electronic survey was disseminated to licensed ATs (n=2,790) and PTs (n=10,207). Survey questions focused on perceived preparedness for management of acute injuries/medical conditions. Respondents also completed questions that assessed clinical decision-making related to acute injury case scenarios. Kruskal-Wallis H-Tests and Spearman's Rho Correlations were used for the analysis. Significance was set to p<0.003 after adjustment for family-wise error.

Results: Six-hundred and fifty-five respondents (292 ATs, 317 PTs, 46 dual credentialed PT/ATs) completed the entire survey. ATs had the highest level of perceived preparedness of all the groups (p<0.0003). Greater than 75% of PTs responded either "appropriately" or "overly cautious" to 10 of the 17 case scenarios, as opposed to 11 of the 17 case scenarios by ATs. Greater than 75% of the PTs who were board specialty certified in sports responded either "appropriately" or "overly cautious" to 13 case scenarios.

Conclusion: More ATs than PTs perceived themselves to be prepared to manage acute injuries/ medical conditions. Further, results indicate that PTs may be an effective and safe provider of event coverage. Conditions/injuries with low perceived preparedness or poor performance may offer both ATs and PTs an opportunity to identify areas for future training and education to optimize care for athletes with acute injuries or medical conditions.

Level of evidence: Level 3b.

Keywords: acute injuries; athletic training; decision-making; event coverage; residency; sports physical therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Alan Wallace declares relevant financial activities outside of submitted work with payments made to him by his current employer (Kent State University). Matthew Briggs declares relevant financial activities outside the submitted work with payments made to him by his current employer (The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center) and Allied Health Education LLC; grant/grants pending paid to his employer by the National Institutes of Health, Ohio Physical Therapy Association, and American Physical Therapy Academy of Physical Therapy Education for support for unrelated projects; and travel/accommodations/ meeting expenses unrelated to this project by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. James Onate declares board membership and ownership of stock/stock options with to Human Elements. John Dewitt no disclosure or conflicts of interest Laurie Rinehart-Thompson no disclosure or conflicts of interest

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Case Scenario Example.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Flow Diagram of Sampling Procedures.
OTPTAT = State of Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board. The survey was only sent to Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers. Average Percent Perception of Perceived Preparedness for Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists. Seventy-seven percent of the Athletic Trainers felt “Prepared” while only 34% of the Physical Therapists felt prepared. Nineteen percent of the Athletic Trainers felt “Somewhat Prepared” vs. 35% of the Physical Therapists. Three percent of the Athletic Trainers and 13% of the Physical Therapists felt “Neutral.” While only 1% of the Athletic Trainers felt “Somewhat Underprepared” vs. 10% of the Physical Therapists. Finally, less than 1% (0.12%) of the Athletic Trainers felt “Not Prepared” compared to 8% of the Physical Therapists. These results suggest that Physical Therapists felt less prepared to management acute injury situations than Athletic Trainers. More specific results are presented in Table 4.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Distribution of the Average Perception of Perceived Preparedness for Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists.
Seventy-seven percent of the Athletic Trainers felt “Prepared” while only 34% of the Physical Therapists felt prepared. Nineteen percent of the Athletic Trainers felt “Somewhat Prepared” vs. 35% of the Physical Therapists. Three percent of the Athletic Trainers and 13% of the Physical Therapists felt “Neutral.” While only 1% of the Athletic Trainers felt “Somewhat Underprepared” vs. 10% of the Physical Therapists. Finally, less than 1% (0.12%) of the Athletic Trainers felt “Not Prepared” compared to 8% of the Physical Therapists. These results suggest that Physical Therapists felt less prepared to management acute injury situations than Athletic Trainers. More specific results are presented in Table 4.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Distribution of Responses to Case Scenarios for Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists.
Average percentage of response types to case scenarios of Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists. This chart summarizes the average percentage of “Most Appropriate,” “Appropriate,” “Inappropriate,” and “Overly Cautious” responses to the case scenarios. In some instances during the case scenario section, a case had both a “Most Appropriate” response, and an “Appropriate” response. For example scenarios: 4 (1st Concussion), 7 (Fracture), 11 (2nd Concussion), 12 (Dislocation), 13 (Heat Exhaustion), and 15 (Ankle Sprain) had both “Most Appropriate” and “Appropriate” responses. Only 3 scenarios had “Overly Cautious” responses. These included scenarios: 2 (Asthma), 6 (Diabetes), 10 (Knee Sprain), and 15 (Ankle Sprain). These results suggest that the overall responses of Physical Therapists were appropriate. More specific results are presented in Table 5.
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