•  
  •  
 

Keywords

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Abstract

Context: Currently, concussions are diagnosed using subjective criteria that typically require baseline measurements to be considered accurate. In some cases, symptoms may not be immediately evident following a brain injury. Recently, studies have begun analyzing the possibility of using biomarkers as a means of objectively diagnosing concussions. However, more research and information on biomarkers are required before implementation of diagnostic methods are possible; therefore, the purpose of our study was to explore and analyze current practicing athletic trainers’ attitudes toward the future implementation of concussion biomarkers in clinical practices. Methods: A phenomenological qualitative research design was used to gather information regarding attitudes of athletic trainers toward the future implementation of biomarkers in clinical practices. Participants were recruited from a previous survey-based study through the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) research survey service. A total of 11 Athletic Trainers (five female, six male) were interviewed via Zoom. Semi-structured Interviews were conducted by the lead researcher until data saturation occurred. Data analysis was guided by consensual qualitative research tradition processes broken down into five cycles. The 4-person research team reached consensus on common themes and subthemes. Each member of the research team then focused analyzing their respective theme for the results. Results: The 4th theme, Attitude About Biomarker Use, primarily focuses on analyzing how Athletic Trainers feel about the use of concussion biomarkers in their future practice and how they compare to current diagnostic methods. The sub-categories for this theme included “Towards its future use in general,” “Compared to gold standard,” and “Feasibility at current site.” All participants expressed a desire or need for the future implementation of objective concussion diagnostic methods. Conclusions: Considering the research is still relatively new, current practicing athletic trainers have little knowledge on what they are and how they can be used; however, all participants agreed that with more research, using biomarkers for concussion diagnosis could prove to be a promising objective measure. Participants expressed the future implementation of biomarkers would enhance concussion diagnosis.

Download

Share

COinS