Survey Determining Involvement of Certified Athletic Trainers in Return to Activity/Play Decisions and Concussion Education

A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.In the some states a Certified Athletic Trainer (AT) has the ability to determine if a player can return to activity or play (RTP) following a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), also known as a concussion. Premature return to activity or RTP and sustaining another concussion can result in further axonal damage, prolonged complications and rarely, death. There currently is no standardized education and certification for ATs regarding concussion management, and no data exists determining how often ATs are involved in return to activity or RTP decisions. The aim of this study was to survey ATs and establish a baseline of their involvement in return to activity and RTP decisions and determine what type and amount concussion education ATs are completing at the present time. A twenty (20) question electronic survey was sent to 2084 randomly selected ATs registered with the National Athletic Trainer Association (NATA). 382 responses were collected in a 38‐day period. The survey was successfully completed by a total of 356 ATs from across the United States.This item is part of the College of Medicine - Phoenix Scholarly Projects 2018 collection. For more information, contact the Phoenix Biomedical Campus Library at pbc-library@email.arizona.edu