Hello! My name is Mark. My team and I are working to create a platform to promote, advocate, and bring awareness to the concepts of injury/illness prevention, screening methods, documentation for injury prevention, and intervention strategies for physical, behavioral (health-related behaviors) and mental health.
Unfortunately, much of our healthcare system is not tailored to support preventative measures. Financial burdens and health care incentives promote more of a reactive health care model, rather than a proactive one. As a result, the practical application of injury and illness prevention within various patient populations have become a bit of a "lost art."
The BOC Practice Analysis for the athletic trainer lists Risk Reduction (injury/illness "prevention") as the first domain of clinical practice. But what types of strategies are we using in clinical practice, and how often are we using them? After doing a search of the literature, I learned that there is limited evidence demonstrating what athletic trainers are doing, especially as it relates to primary prevention. More commonly, injury prevention strategies are used in isolation, and take on the form of team based ACL/LAS exercise programs. Not that there is anything wrong with this (I use this strategy myself), but what about integrating this into other concepts regarding a patients health (physical, mental, and behavioral) into a comprehensive plan of care.
What are your thoughts? What strategies have you used? Or, what ideas do you have for how we might be more purposeful and comprehensive regarding an approach to injury/illness prevention?