Athletic Trainers’ confidence and preparedness in recognizing and responding to Social Determinants of Health needs among patients.

Location

Turner Gymnasium

Access Type

Campus Access Only

Start Date

4-17-2024 12:00 PM

End Date

4-17-2024 1:15 PM

College

College of Health Sciences

Department

Athletic Training

Keywords

athletic training, determinants, patient care, health inequalities, status

Abstract

Context: Social determinants of health (SDOH) are recognized as environmental and socioeconomic circumstances that influence people’s daily living conditions and long-term health outcomes. Athletic Trainers' (ATs) confidence and preparedness in their ability to recognize and respond to the impact of SDOH on patients is a crucial factor for promoting total wellness. However, domains of SDOH have recently been incorporated in CAATE standards may vary by type of professional training among ATs. The purpose of this study was to describe ATs’ confidence and preparedness in recognizing and responding to indices of SDOH among patients.

Methods: Following expert review for content validity, we distributed an online survey, as part of a larger mixed-methods study, to ATs across the United States using the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research Survey Service. A total of 325 ATs completed the survey. We deployed two Likert-type scales for Preparedness (15 items) and Confidence (7 items) that incorporated responses of 1=“Strongly Disagree” to 5=“Strongly Agree”. Both scales were internally consistent (Preparedness: Cronbach ɑ=.93; Confidence ɑ=.79).

Results: The majority of participants reported that they are prepared and confident in their ability to recognize and respond to SDOH but participants did not report strong or weak preparedness and confidence levels.

Conclusions: The lack of significant findings across groups and years of experience suggests a level of consistency among graduates of different professional education programs in preparedness and confidence in recognizing and responding to SDOH. However, most participants responded with “neutral” responses in both sections, suggesting that ATs only feel moderately prepared and moderately confident in addressing SDOH in their clinical practice. Because of this, there is a rationale for prioritizing professional development initiatives aimed at enhancing the efficacy of ATs in recognizing and responding to SDOH-related needs among patients.

Faculty Mentor(s)

Dr. Patricia Kelshaw, PhD, ATC Dr. Tamara Valovich McLeod, PhD, ATC, FNATA Dr. Tamerah Hunt, PhD, ATC Dr. Kelsey Picha, PhD, ATC Dr. Tarkington Newman, PhD, MSW, MS Dr. Curt Bay, PhD Dr. Thomas G Bowman, PhD, ATC

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Apr 17th, 12:00 PM Apr 17th, 1:15 PM

Athletic Trainers’ confidence and preparedness in recognizing and responding to Social Determinants of Health needs among patients.

Turner Gymnasium

Context: Social determinants of health (SDOH) are recognized as environmental and socioeconomic circumstances that influence people’s daily living conditions and long-term health outcomes. Athletic Trainers' (ATs) confidence and preparedness in their ability to recognize and respond to the impact of SDOH on patients is a crucial factor for promoting total wellness. However, domains of SDOH have recently been incorporated in CAATE standards may vary by type of professional training among ATs. The purpose of this study was to describe ATs’ confidence and preparedness in recognizing and responding to indices of SDOH among patients.

Methods: Following expert review for content validity, we distributed an online survey, as part of a larger mixed-methods study, to ATs across the United States using the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Research Survey Service. A total of 325 ATs completed the survey. We deployed two Likert-type scales for Preparedness (15 items) and Confidence (7 items) that incorporated responses of 1=“Strongly Disagree” to 5=“Strongly Agree”. Both scales were internally consistent (Preparedness: Cronbach ɑ=.93; Confidence ɑ=.79).

Results: The majority of participants reported that they are prepared and confident in their ability to recognize and respond to SDOH but participants did not report strong or weak preparedness and confidence levels.

Conclusions: The lack of significant findings across groups and years of experience suggests a level of consistency among graduates of different professional education programs in preparedness and confidence in recognizing and responding to SDOH. However, most participants responded with “neutral” responses in both sections, suggesting that ATs only feel moderately prepared and moderately confident in addressing SDOH in their clinical practice. Because of this, there is a rationale for prioritizing professional development initiatives aimed at enhancing the efficacy of ATs in recognizing and responding to SDOH-related needs among patients.