scholarly journals Athletic Trainers' Knowledge and Practice Application of Public Health Topics

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 308-320
Author(s):  
Zachary K. Winkelmann ◽  
Kenneth E. Games ◽  
Matthew J. Rivera ◽  
Elizabeth R. Neil ◽  
Lindsey E. Eberman

Context Athletic training is at the forefront of the prevention of injury and illness. As the push for population-level approaches continues, including the expansion of standards related to professional preparation, there is a need to examine the knowledge and practice application of public health topics of athletic trainers (ATs), as they may serve as role models or preceptors. Objective To assess ATs' knowledge and practice application of public health topics. Design and Setting Online survey with knowledge assessment. Participants Four hundred eighty-seven ATs (age = 35.8 ± 11.1 years, years credentialed = 12.8 ± 10.6) voluntarily participated. Intervention(s) The instrument included a demographic section, a pre and post perceived-knowledge assessment, a practice-behavior frequency matrix, and the Public Health Assessment Tool (PHAT) developed by the authors and Delphi panelists. Main Outcome Measure(s) Measures of central tendency were calculated for the practice-behavior frequency matrix. Perceived knowledge was compared pre- and post-PHAT. We calculated a total PHAT score to measure actual knowledge, and compared perceived and actual knowledge to determine if a knowledge gap existed. Results A significant difference (P > .001) was identified for perceived knowledge before and after the PHAT. On the PHAT, participants scored 12.14 ± 2.21 out of 19. The 3 most commonly missed questions directly related to the 3 least practiced topics: social determinants of health, assessing environmental health factors, and assessing health-related quality of life. When exploring the relationship between perceived and actual knowledge, we identified a weak, significant relationship between post-PHAT perceived-knowledge mean and actual-knowledge assessment scores (r = 0.105, P = .022). Conclusions A knowledge gap exists concerning public health topics in ATs. A lack of knowledge related to public health topics identifies the need for ATs to be mindful of the intersection of daily clinical practice and population health with a future emphasis on deploying community-based health promotion.

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth R. Neil ◽  
Lindsey E. Eberman ◽  
Kenneth E. Games ◽  
Leamor Kahanov

Context: Current practice in management of the spine-injured athletes appears to be inconsistent with literature. Moreover, evidence expands faster than integration into instruction, practice, and evaluation, likely leading to an overall lack of knowledge, both perceived and actual. Objective: The primary purpose was to evaluate athletic trainers' (ATs), paramedics', emergency medical technicians' (EMTs), and dual-credentialed personnel's actual and perceived knowledge regarding management of the spine-injured athlete. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Web-based knowledge assessment Patients or Other Participants: We recruited participants (N = 1305) from the National Athletic Trainers' Association, Facebook, and Twitter. Only those participants (N = 785, 60.2% completion rate) who completed the actual knowledge assessment were used in analysis (age = 35.5 ± 10.8 years, male = 378 [48.2%], female = 375 [47.8%], sex not indicated = 32 [4.1%], ATs = 726, emergency personnel = 30, dual credentialed = 29). Main Outcome Measure(s): We measured perceived and actual knowledge (10 items, 9 scored) among participants and compared subgroups (ATs, emergency personnel [paramedics and EMTs], and dual credentialed [AT and either paramedic or EMT]). Results: Participants performed poorly on the actual knowledge assessment (5.5 ± 1.2, 60.8% ± 13.5%). Participants had limited change between preassessment perceived knowledge (5.0 ± 0.7) and postassessment perceived knowledge (4.7 ± 0.8). Conclusions: We identified that participants performed poorly on the actual knowledge assessment, indicating the need for more preparation and continued training in managing spine-injured athletes. Interprofessional practice and education may improve knowledge and behavioral skills, given that diverse training and increased exposure to spine boarding likely contributed to higher performance. A lack of actual knowledge, particularly regarding life-preserving skills for spine-injury management, has potentially serious consequences for patients.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-97
Author(s):  
Lindsey E. Eberman ◽  
Kimberly J. Bodey ◽  
Rebecca Zakrajsek ◽  
Madeline McGuire ◽  
Adam Simpson

Background:The National Standards for Sport Coaches (2006) acknowledges that differences exist in athletes’ ability to tolerate heat. As such, Domain 2: Safety and Injury Prevention (S7-10), Domain 3: Physical Conditioning (S12-13), and Domain 7: Organization and Administration (S34) list expectations for coaches’ ability to recognize and respond to heat illness. However, only the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis (Domain 2 specific) and 13 programs are accredited by NCACE. Moreover, on-line trainings frequently used to educate novice interscholastic and recreational sport coaches provide only a cursory review of heat illness precautions, symptoms, and remedies.Objective:The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify changes in coaches’ actual and perceived knowledge after an on-line educational intervention, as well as determine whether the educational intervention will decrease the knowledge gap.Research Design:A pre-test/post-test design was used to identify the effect of an educational intervention on perceived and actual knowledge of sport coaches.Participants:Coaches (n=19; male=14, female=5) were solicited via email made available by the Indiana High School Athletic Association and the Indiana Youth Soccer Association – Olympic Development Program.Instrumentation:The Perceived Knowledge Questionnaire (five-item survey) and an actual knowledge assessment (two versions of 19-item quiz) were used to measure the coaches’ perceived and actual knowledge about the prevention, recognition, and treatment of exertional heat illnesses. Participants completed the “Beat the Heat: Be a Better Coach in Extreme Environmental Conditions” educational intervention.Procedures:Coaches completed the on-line educational module including pre-test and post-tests evaluations of actual and perceived knowledge.Statistical Analysis:Researchers performed three separate paired t-tests to identify the effect of the educational intervention on the dependent variables: actual knowledge, perceived knowledge, and knowledge gap. Significance was set a-prior at p<0.05.Results:Participants demonstrated a significant 18.1% improvement (t18=-4.877, p<0.001, ES=0.62) in actual knowledge scores. Perceived knowledge also significantly improved (t18=-2.585, p=0.019, ES=0.25). Knowledge gap, the difference between actual knowledge and perceived knowledge, became significantly smaller (t18=4.850, p<0.001, ES=0.63).Conclusions:Results indicate the on-line educational intervention improved actual knowledge, perceived knowledge, and decreased the knowledge gap. Additional large scale study of this intervention is warranted.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey E. Eberman ◽  
Brady L. Tripp

Context: For practicing health care professionals, waiting for a teachable moment to identify a gap in knowledge could prove critical. Other methods are needed to help health care professionals identify their knowledge gaps. Objective: To assess the effect of performance feedback on Athletic Trainers' (AT) perceived knowledge (PK) and likelihood to pursue continuing education (CE). Design and Setting: Pre-test, post-test control-group design to measure PK and likelihood to pursue CE before and after assessing actual knowledge (AK) in an on-line classroom (Campus Edition 6; Blackboard Inc.). Participants: We randomly sampled potential participants (n = 2000) from the National Athletic Trainers' Association membership directory and then randomly assigned (n = 103/2000, 5.1%) them to control (n = 58) or experimental groups (n = 45). Interventions: Performance feedback following the AK assessment in the experimental group. Main Outcome Measures: We assessed PK and likelihood to pursue CE before and after the AK assessment. We calculated differences between pre-test and post-test scores and knowledge gap. Two independent samples t-tests examined the effects of feedback on the dependent measures. Multiple linear regression was used to predict post-test likelihood to pursue CE using three variables: PK, pre-test likelihood to pursue CE knowledge gap. Results: We found a significant difference (68.2%) between groups for likelihood to pursue CE (P = 0.01, ES = 0.45). The experimental group demonstrated a 13.8% (pre-test = 4.12 ± 1.32, post-test = 4.78 ±1.13) increase in likelihood to pursue CE, while the control group increased 4.4% (pre-test = 4.60 ± 1.07, post-test = 4.81 ± 1.08). Pre-test likelihood to pursue CE was a significant predictor of post-test likelihood to pursue CE (r = 0.74, R2= 0.55, P = 0.05). We observed a moderate relationship between pre-test knowledge gap and post-test likelihood to pursue CE (r = 0.31, R2= 0.10, P &lt; 0.01). Pre-test knowledge gap was a significant predictor of post-test knowledge gap(r = 0.88, R2=0.77, P &lt; 0.01). Conclusions: Knowledge assessment alone increases the likelihood to pursue CE, yet when feedback is provided ATs are more likely to pursue CE.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biniyam Altamo Ashengo ◽  
Sophie Soklaridis

Abstract Background: Ethiopia has been training health officers as non-physician clinicians to meet the urgent public health service needs including preventive and health promotion as well as curative services. However, to date there is a lack of evidence of whether the curriculum content of the program meets the needs of the community. The purpose of this study was to explore the perception among health officers on whether the curriculum prepared them with what they need to know for practice when deployed to district hospitals and rural health centersMethod: A qualitative research design was used to explore health officer’s perceptions on the curriculum for clinical practice. The study was conducted in Dale district, Sidama region, southern Ethiopia. Data collection was done using semi-structured interview guide with open ended questions. The interview guide were developed using the first author’s experience as a health officer who recently graduated the program. All public health officers training graduates in the Dale districts, included in the study. Data analysis was done following a thematic analysis approach. The data was analyzed using ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis software. Result: The study revealed a major curriculum-related gap which contributed to the perceived knowledge gap of public health officers. The main gap identified was the disproportional time allocation for very crucial courses of basic sciences and clinical practice during training. In addition the curriculum lacked a strict monitoring system of its implementation. Conclusion: Based on the result most participants believed the course content of the curriculum was very strong and crucial for public health officers. Some weakness of the curriculum were also identified which created the perceived knowledge gap of public health officers. The main weakness in the curriculum was that some of the courses were not proportionally allocated with adequate time for course contents like that of basic science and clinical courses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-307
Author(s):  
Lindsey E. Eberman ◽  
Zachary K. Winkelmann ◽  
Jessica R. Edler ◽  
Elizabeth R. Neil

Context The American health care system is dynamic and ever evolving. As athletic training continues to advance, our understanding of and the ability to integrate best practices in policy construction and implementation, documentation, and basic business practices is critical to promoting optimal patient care. Objective To identify and compare knowledge gaps of clinicians and educators regarding health care delivery systems and administration. Design and Setting Cross-sectional, Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants Athletic trainers (N = 485), representative of the national demographic of the profession (age = 37 ± 12 years, experience = 14 ± 11 years). Intervention(s) We used a multi-part assessment including a perceived knowledge questionnaire, validated knowledge assessment (21 items: knowledge retrieval [11 items], knowledge utilization [10 items]), and self-efficacy scales. Main Outcome Measure(s) We calculated the knowledge assessment total score and compared educators (n = 41) and clinicians (n = 444). We calculated the knowledge gap with a Spearman ρ correlation to determine the relationship between perceived knowledge mean and the knowledge retrieval subscore. We calculated the practice gap with a Spearman ρ correlation to determine the relationship between self-efficacy mean and the knowledge utilization subscore. Results Athletic trainers scored less than 50% on a knowledge assessment (mean = 10.27 ± 2.41 of 21) about health care delivery systems and administration. We identified that educators scored approximately 1 point higher (11.65 ± 0.4) than clinicians (10.14 ± 0.11), equivalent to 7% to 10% higher on the knowledge assessment. We identified, relative to health care delivery systems and administration, a knowledge gap (Spearman ρ = .161, P &lt; .001) between perceived knowledge and knowledge retrieval and a practice gap (Spearman ρ = .095, P = .037) between self-efficacy and knowledge utilization. Conclusions Athletic trainers demonstrated knowledge and practice gaps related to health care delivery systems and administration. To meet the expectations of the practice analysis and the needs of patients in today's American health care system, we must engage in professional development in this domain of practice.


Author(s):  
Charles F. C. Taylor ◽  
Octavia R. Kurn ◽  
Steven P. Glautier ◽  
Deepika Anbu ◽  
Oliver Dean ◽  
...  

AbstractNear-Peer Teaching (NPT) is increasingly becoming an integral part of the medical curriculum. When considered alongside the increasing popularity of interdisciplinary education, it seems appropriate to explore NPT within an interdisciplinary context. In these observations, 3rd-year medical students taught 2nd-year psychology students neuroanatomy. The session was evaluated using three objective and subjective assays. A knowledge assessment test showed significant improvement after teaching, and there were significant improvements on self-perceived knowledge/attitudes towards neuroanatomy, as well as positive feedback on the use of NPT. These observations evidence the successful use of Interdisciplinary Near-Peer Teaching (INPT) within a neuroanatomical curriculum.


Author(s):  
Rostam Jalali ◽  
Amin Hosseinian-Far ◽  
Masoud Mohammadi

Abstract Background Translating research into practice is a central priority within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap. The underlying aim of the NIH Roadmap is to accelerate the movement of scientific findings into practical health care provisions through translational research. Main text Despite the advances in health sciences, emerging infectious diseases have become more frequent in recent decades. Furthermore, emerging and reemerging pathogens have led to several global public health challenges. A question, and to an extent a concern, arises from this: Why our health care system is experiencing several challenges in encountering the coronavirus outbreak, despite the ever-growing advances in sciences, and the exponential rise in the number of published articles in the first quartile journals and even the ones among the top 1%? Conclusion Two responses could be potentially provided to the above question: First, there seems to be a significant gap between our theoretical knowledge and practice. And second that many scholars and scientists publish papers only to have a longer list of publications, and therefore publishing is viewed as a personal objective, rather than for improving communities’ public health.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 125-146
Author(s):  
Eija Yli-Panula ◽  
Elia Jeronen ◽  
Nonmanut Pongsakdi

Individuals’ perceptions of their knowledge can have an important role in shaping their cognition and influencing their behaviour. However, there has been a scarcity of studies in biology on how perceived knowledge relates to actual knowledge. The focus of this article is on quantitative results analysing and interpreting student teachers’ perceived knowledge of biological content in relation to their actual animal and species name knowledge linked to the ecosystem in which they live. K-means cluster analysis and ANOVA were used. The results show a high- and low-level perceived knowledge cluster group among the participants. They further indicate that the difference in actual animal and species name knowledge betweenthese cluster groups remained the same during the five years of the study. The student teachers with a higher level of perceived knowledge tended to have better actual animal and species name knowledge than those in the low-level group. The actual animal name knowledge in these cluster groups was similar with regard to the local Finnish ecosystems but differed concerning the exotic species by year. The year that the participants enrolled in the study programme had an impact on their actual animal and species name knowledge. Strategies for coping with work-related demands and maintaining engagement in one’s career would be important additions to the teacher education curriculum.


Author(s):  
Fabian A. Ryffel ◽  
Werner Wirth

Abstract. The present two-study work aims to contribute to an understanding of the causes and consequences of perceived processing fluency. Regarding its causes, the experimental studies ( N1 = 399; N2 = 337) found that features of television reports (e.g., footage used, background music) can heighten perceptions of processing fluency. Regarding its consequences, it was found that heightened perceived fluency biases metacognitive judgments. Specifically, considering perceived knowledge in relation to actual knowledge, recipients experiencing fluency have been found to overestimate their knowledge about the issue depicted in the experimental stimuli. The resulting illusion of knowing was particularly pronounced under conditions of low involvement, indicating that the so-called ease-of-processing heuristic underlies the effect.


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