DOI
https://doi.org/10.25035/jsmahs.07.02.06
Abstract
Purpose: Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs prepare student-civilians to become leaders through strenuous physical and leadership training. Unlike their student-athlete counterparts who have direct access to athletic training services, ROTC cadets may or may not have a healthcare provider available. The purpose of this study was to examine the access to care and reporting behaviors of ROTC cadets with a secondary aim exploring the quality of healthcare service interactions relative to patient-centered care.
Methods: An online survey assessed access to care using a self-report tool on the type of medical providers available to the ROTC cadets (n=132, age=20±3 y) dispersed between the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, and their illness/injury history and reporting behaviors. The participants who sought care for an injury/illness also completed the Consultation and Relational Empathy tool to measure the level of patient-centered care by the healthcare provider with follow-up analysis using the Consultation Care Measure tool for all athletic training service interactions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: ROTC cadets reported access to 2±1 healthcare providers including a designated civilian physician (26.5%), athletic trainer (23.5%), and ROTC peer first responder (14.4%). However, 50.8% of respondents stated they were unsure what healthcare providers were available. In total, 22.7% of cadets reported being injured and 26.5% reported being sick/ill while participating in ROTC activities. Of those who stated they had sustained an injury during ROTC, 59.9% seldomly or never reported their injury. The ROTC cadets who sought healthcare expressed they were satisfied with their injury (35.96±10.60) and illness (35.48±13.10) treatment from a patient-centered viewpoint. Conclusions: The ROTC cadets reported a general unfamiliarity with the healthcare providers available to them. Despite the reporting behaviors, the cadets reported being satisfied with the care they received.
Recommended Citation
Avey, Mary Catherine; Hand, Amy F.; Uriegas, Nancy A.; Smith, Allison B.; and Winkelmann, Zachary K.
(2021)
"Access to Care, Reporting Behaviors, and Quality of Athletic Training Service Interactions for Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets,"
Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association: Vol. 7:
Iss.
2, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/jsmahs.07.02.06
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jsmahs/vol7/iss2/6
Included in
Exercise Science Commons, Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons, Sports Medicine Commons, Sports Sciences Commons