Perceptions of Emergency Management in Members of Reciprocal Organizations

Context Reciprocal agreements allow members of both the Board of Certification and the Canadian Athletic Therapy Association to practice after passing the certification exams. For both, there is an initial baseline level of emergency management (EM) knowledge. A high level of decay among skills and knowledge occurs when not used or reviewed. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify a definition of EM as well as themes relating to perspectives on EM maintenance requirements in athletic trainers and athletic therapists, as these appear to be absent from the current research base. Design Qualitative study. Setting Individual interviews. Patients or Other Participants A purposeful sampling method recruited 10 participants (5 from Canada and 5 from the United States; 4 men and 6 women; 4 academics and 6 clinicians; 2 to 35 years of experience) with content expertise in EM. Data Collection and Analysis The primary investigator conducted interviews, which were recorded, transcribed, and checked for accuracy. Interviews were evaluated through consensual qualitative analysis for themes, subthemes, and quotes. Triangulation occurred, and data saturation was reached by the tenth interview. Results Four main themes emerged: (1) a definition of EM, (2) EM as a foundational skill, (3) efforts to gain and maintain knowledge and skills, and (4) perceptions regarding requiring a higher-level certification. We have identified a thematic definition of EM and established EM as a foundational skill set. Participants emphasized practice for gaining and maintaining proficiencies in EM; however, no consensus on higher-level certification was reached. Conclusions With the thematic definition of EM identified, the focus shifts to investigating effects of personal practice on knowledge and skill levels. This study found that recertification timelines exceed timelines for knowledge and skill decay. Clinicians and academics agree that frequent personal practice is preferred over formal continuing education for maintenance of best practice.