Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

This study examined athletic training students' technology acceptance, knowledge, skill application, and perceptions regarding a distance-learning module and standardized patient (SP) encounter relative to telemedicine for athletic training clinical practice. Six athletic training programs delivered at the post-baccalaureate level voluntarily integrated the online module related to telemedicine in their curricula. Fifty-five second-year athletic training students participated in all parts of the study including four module quizzes, an individual SP encounter, and pre- and post-intervention surveys related to technology acceptance and transactional distance. I identified that participants had low acceptance for technology at the onset of the study that improved after the two-week intervention for the constructs of self-efficacy and perceived ease of use related to eLearning and the constructs of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude related to telemedicine. On the SP encounter, 87.3% of participants correctly communicated the diagnosis of a lateral ankle sprain with another 3.6% correctly communicating the diagnosis but referred the patient to another provider to confirm the diagnosis. Participants scored poorly in the constructs of data gathering and telemedicine but scored well in the constructs of communication/interpersonal skills and patient Education. Overall, the sum score of all constructs on the SP encounter resulted in an average score of 30.15 ± 5.79 out of 50 (range 15–42; percentage: 60.29% ± 11.59%, range 30.0%–84.0%). The specific tasks with 98% adherence or higher included the student was in a quiet room, asked only one question at a time, conducted a thorough medical history, and provided an appropriate immediate care plan. I identified a significant improvement in confidence for using telemedicine technology” from pre ( M = 2.60 ± 0.83) to post ( M = 3.49 ± 0.92) intervention ( t (54) = -6.412, p ≤ 0.001). Most participants reported engaging in the module, and the facilitator and resources provided were helpful. Participants felt the material in the online module was neither difficult nor easy (n = 35, 63.6%) with only four participants' stating the material was difficult (n = 4, 7.3%). Additional open-ended responses that were qualitatively coded identified two constructs focused on eLearning and telemedicine. Each construct had the same two domains: benefits and limitations. Under eLearning, the benefits domain included three categories, including previous experiences, learning on their own time, and productive. The limitations domains of eLearning included neutrality, workload, and missing interaction or content categories. The benefits of telemedicine included four categories with subtle but distinct differences, including access, technological convenience, consultation, and clinician assessment measures. Finally, two categories under limitations of telemedicine emerged from the data, including the inability to complete a musculoskeletal exam and other. Overall, the results of this study identified that technology acceptance and transactional distance are important components of online learning. The performance on the SP encounter highlighted that it is possible to teach the delivery of telemedicine patient care asynchronously with some students achieving and implementing all content related to this technology. Athletic training educators should be mindful to include debriefing sessions following SP encounters and to properly educate learners regarding the differences in online Education requirements specific to workload and user interactions. The participants in this study expanded their views on telemedicine including benefits of its use yet were often held back by technology issues or lack of perceived transferability to their future clinical practice.

Download

Share

COinS