Recreational Therapy, Exercise Physiology, and Athletic Training Interprofessional Collaborative Practices for Adaptive Sports

Adaptive sports are implemented by multiple disciplines, including recreational therapists, exercise physiologists, and athletic trainers. Yet, understanding differences in discipline-specific work with adaptive sport athletes is warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this manuscript was to identify scopes of practice and safety recommendations for recreational therapists, exercise physiologists, and athletic trainers regarding adaptive sports. Using a qualitative case study method, focus groups were conducted for 10 participants in the three disciplines. Two themes of scope of practice (with four subthemes) and safety recommendations (with four subthemes) emerged from the data. Discussions for interprofessional practice among these disciplines working in adaptive sports are provided, and recreational therapy practice implications are further detailed. Future research recommendations in the area of adaptive sports are also shared to advance interprofessional practice, scope of practice, and safety recommendations within the specialty area of adaptive sports.