A Qualitative Study Of Athletic Trainers’ Experiences With The Social Determinants Of Health In The Continuum Of Care

The Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are important to identify when providing care to patients. While interprofessional care teams support collegiate athletes, athletic trainers (ATs) are typically the medical entry point for athletes after injury. PURPOSE: Characterize ATs’ experiences with SDH while providing clinical care to collegiate athletes. METHODS: ATs working in collegiate athletic settings were recruited (n = 8, 7 women, age = 34.8 ± 8.6 years) for interviews assessing their knowledge and implementation of SDH during clinical care using a semi-structured and validated interview guide. The Consensual Qualitative Research method was utilized to develop the codebook, analyze the interview data and develop resultant themes. Multianalyst triangulation and peer debrief occurred throughout the analytical process to enhance the trustworthiness of the study methods. RESULTS: Three preliminary themes emerged from the interviews. 1) ATs focus on patient-centered care to moderate the influence of the SDH. Building relationships with patients with trusting foundations allowed clinicians to provide individualized care. 2) ATs value cultural competence and humility during patient care when working with collegiate athletes with diverse cultural values and lived experiences. For instance, ATs felt patients should be provided treatment that best aligns with individualized needs, particularly when fostering supportive provider-patient relationships and determining plans of care. 3) ATs discussed positively influencing SDH because of their unique responsibilities and interprofessional care team networks, and perceived initial access to healthcare was improved for patients when ATs were present. For example, cognizant of financial inequities, ATs referred patients to clinics that provided free options or in-network providers. CONCLUSIONS: ATs play a critical role in providing patient-centered care that is culturally responsive by recognizing and providing support for collegiate athletes affected by SDH. Access to ATs may augment disparities inherent to the diverse individual backgrounds of collegiate student athletes. The inherent role of ATs provides an opportunity to positively impact the holistic health and well-being of collegiate athletes for whom they provide care. Supported by: This study was funded by the University of New Hampshire’s Collaborative Research Excellence (CoRE) Grant (PI: Kelshaw)