The Self-Efficacy of Certified Athletic Trainers in Assessing and Managing Sport-Related Concussions

Diagnostic and return-to-play assessments of athletes with sport-related concussions (SRCs) have changed dramatically over the past decade. Currently, SRC assessment and management has taken a multifaceted approach, with new SRC measures being developed yearly. However, to date, no researchers have examined certified athletic trainers' (ATs') self-efficacy in assessing and managing a patient with an SRC.

To examine the self-efficacy of ATs in assessing and managing athletes with SRCs, with a secondary purpose of examining job setting (high school and college).

Cross-sectional study.

Web-based questionnaire.

A total of 94 ATs (high school setting = 54.3%, n = 51; collegiate setting = 45.7%, n = 43) completed an online survey, for a response rate of 9.2%.

The survey contained 3 primary subsections: demographics, self-efficacy in assessing SRCs, and self-efficacy in managing SRCs. Possible self-efficacy ratings for SRC assessment and management in the survey ranged from 0 to 100. Multivariate analyses of variance were performed to identify differences in the self-efficacy of high school and collegiate ATs in assessing and managing athletes with SRCs.

The self-efficacy of all 94 participants in their assessment of SRCs was 60.34 ± 14.5 and in their management of SRCs was 55.30 ± 14.1. Collegiate ATs reported higher self-efficacy in the assessment of SRCs using balance ( P < .001) and the King-Devick test ( P = .04), and their responses approached significance for vestibular-ocular motor screening ( P = .05). Additionally, their self-efficacy in the management of SRCs was greater using balance ( P < .001) and vestibular-ocular therapy ( P = .01) compared with high school ATs.

Athletic trainers had moderate self-efficacy regarding their assessment and management of SRCs. Collegiate ATs had higher self-efficacy in newer SRC assessment and management tools than high school ATs.