Concussion assessment and management practices among irish and canadian athletic therapists: An international perspective
Context
Certified athletic therapists in Ireland and Canada serve essential concussion assessment and management roles, but their health care practices and concussion knowledge have not been established.
Objective
To examine Irish and Canadian athletic therapist cohorts' (1) concussion knowledge, (2) current concussion assessment and management techniques across all job settings, and (3) the association of concussion assessment and management practices with years of clinical experience and highest degree attained.
Design
Cross-sectional cohort study.
Setting
Online survey.
Patients or Other Participants
Licensed Irish (49.7%, n = 91/183) and Canadian (10.1%, n = 211/2090) athletic therapists.
Main Outcome Measure(s)
Athletic therapists completed an online survey assessing their demographics, concussion knowledge (symptom recognition, patient-clinician scenarios), frequency of concussions assessed annually, and assessment and return-to-play (RTP) measures using a modified, previously validated survey. Symptom recognition consisted of 20 (8 true, 12 false) items on recognition of signs and symptoms that were scored as total correct. Descriptive statistics and odds ratios were used to examine survey responses where appropriate.
Results
Irish (86.8%, n = 46/53) and Canadian (93.4%, n = 155/166) athletic therapists indicated RTP guidelines were the most common method for determining RTP. Symptom recognition scores were 72.8% ± 17.0% among Irish and 76.6% ± 17.0% among Canadian athletic therapists. Irish (91.2%, n = 52/57) and Canadian (90.4%, n = 161/178) athletic therapists reported standardized sideline assessments as the most used concussion assessment method. Irish and Canadian athletic therapists' use of 2-domain (Irish: 38.6% [n = 22/57]; Canadian: 73.6% [n = 131/178]) and 3-domain (Irish: 3.5% [n = 2/57]; Canadian: 19.7% [n = 35/178]) minimum assessments (ie, symptoms, balance, or neurocognitive) was not associated with education or clinical experience (P = .07), except for Canadian athletic therapists with master's degrees having greater odds of completing 2-domain assessments at initial evaluation than those with bachelor's degrees (odds ratio = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.41, 1.95).
Conclusions
Irish and Canadian athletic therapists demonstrated similar concussion knowledge; however, most did not fully adhere to international consensus guidelines for concussion assessment as evidenced by low 2- and 3-domain assessment use. Athletic therapists should aim to implement multidimensional concussion assessments to ensure optimal health care practices and patient safety.
Key Points
- Both Irish and Canadian athletic therapists displayed similar symptom recognition and overall proper patient-clinician scenario responses, suggesting similar concussion knowledge was present.
- Irish and Canadian athletic therapists frequently used symptom checklists and balance assessments in clinical practice, but neurocognitive testing was infrequently used, which may be partially attributed to resource barriers.
- Individual assessments were rarely used in combination (ie, multidimensional assessment), marking an area for clinical improvement among Irish and Canadian athletic therapists.
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Aiheet: | urheilulääketiede pää aivot vamma diagnostiikka hoito Irlanti Kanada |
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Aihealueet: | urheilukilpailut biologiset ja lääketieteelliset tieteet |
Tagging: | Gehirnerschütterung |
DOI: | 10.4085/1062-6050-0097.22 |
Julkaisussa: | Journal of Athletic Training |
Julkaistu: |
2023
|
Vuosikerta: | 58 |
Numero: | 4 |
Sivuja: | 293-304 |
Julkaisutyypit: | artikkeli |
Kieli: | englanti (kieli) |
Taso: | kehittynyt |