A Tiered Approach for Integrating Patient Outcome Measures into the Curriculum

Knowledge and understanding of effective practices for integration of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) within athletic training curricula are necessary to bridge the gaps between didactic application, content assessment, and clinical implementation. To provide athletic training educators with a tiered approach to implement content and assessments related to PROMs in the athletic training curriculum. An emphasis in the athletic training community is the need to incorporate patient-oriented evidence that matters into clinical practice. One way of achieving this transfer of knowledge is incorporating PROMs into athletic training curriculum. The 2020 Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) Standards include PROMs and strategies to evaluate them for use in clinical practice to improve patient care. Thus, stakeholders responsible for students' education must have the knowledge and ability to properly address these standards in order for students to utilize these skills as future athletic trainers. This article offers an approach for educators to teach and assess PROMs within their athletic training curriculum. By utilizing an effective teaching approach for the implementation of PROMs, educators, preceptors, and students may collectively integrate these validated tools accurately into patient care to provide a more holistic practice. In addition, using a tiered approach will increase understanding and confidence for athletic trainers who have identified barriers and may not have prior clinical experience in the implementation of PROMs with patient care. The knowledge and use of PROMs are expected of students in CAATE-accredited athletic training programs. In order to ensure and enhance the transfer of knowledge from the didactic setting to clinical practice, the use of a tiered approach may benefit athletic training educators as they integrate this content into coursework. In turn, perhaps future clinicians may be more apt to value the benefits of PROMs.