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9 
Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 3 – Issue 1 – April 2020 
 

Patient Satisfaction with Athletic Trainers Working in a Physician 
Practice Setting 
Nathaniel P. Acree, MA, LAT, ATC*; Forrest Q. Pecha, MS, LAT, ATC*; Joshua B. Lavigne, MS, LAT, ATC†; 
Esther C. Nolton, MEd, LAT, ATC, CSCS‡ 
*St. Luke’s Sports Medicine, Boise, ID; †Mid-Columbia Medical Center, The Dalles, OR; ‡ George Mason University, Fairfax Virginia  
 

 
 
Full Citation 
Acree NP, Pecha FQ, Lavinge JB, Nolton EC. Patient 
satisfaction with athletic trainers working in a 
physician practice setting. Clin Pract Athl Train. 
2020;3(1):9-10. 
https://doi.org/10.31622/2020/0003.4.  
 
Presented at the 3rd Annual Athletic Trainers in the 
Physician Practice Society Meeting and Conference, 
Columbia South Carolina. February 28-29, 2020  
  

ABSTRACT 

Background: Recent changes in healthcare 
administration via the introduction of the Triple 
Aim by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement 
have challenged healthcare institutions to improve 
the efficiency and effectiveness with which 
services are provided, while also enhancing 
patient experience. These changes have 
facilitated the hiring of clinical support staff from 
varying backgrounds with the aim of ensuring the 
goals of the triple aim are met within the clinical 
environment. Recently orthopedic practices have 
begun to include certified athletic trainers in the 
healthcare delivery team due to their advanced 
base of musculoskeletal knowledge. Previous 
literature has observed increased efficiency and 
revenue in physician practices where certified 
athletic trainers (ATs) are included in the 
healthcare team. However patient satisfaction 
with certified athletic trainers as healthcare 
providers in a physician practice is yet to be 
measured.  
Methods: Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive. 
Setting: Physician clinic. Participants: New patients 
(NP) and guardians of minors who are NP 
presenting for evaluation in a primary care sports 
medicine practice. Intervention: A 10-item survey 

consisting of six-point Likert-scale items was 
developed in order to assess patient satisfaction 
with ATs in the domains of interpersonal care, 
technical care and global satisfaction within a 
physician practice setting. The survey was offered 
during a 23-month period to new patients in a 
physician clinic when ATs were involved with 
healthcare delivery during the initial encounter. 
Responses were collected via an electronic 
platform. Descriptive statistics were calculated, 
and mean scores were calculated for each Likert 
scale item and domain.  
Results: A total of 186 completed surveys were 
analyzed. Mean score and standard deviation 
were: M = 5.76 for interpersonal care, M = 5.78 
for technical care, and M = 5.81 for global 
satisfaction.  
Conclusion: In this study among new patients 
presenting for musculoskeletal care in an 
orthopedic physician clinic, participants reported 
high satisfaction with the technical, interpersonal, 
and overall care provided by athletic trainers. 
ATs may be an asset to the orthopedic physician 
practice with regard to patient satisfaction within 
the model utilized at study sites. 
 
 
Correspondence 
Forest Pecha, St. Luke’s Plaza-Central Plaza, 720 Park Blvd. 
Suite 115, Boise, ID 83789 
Email: fpecha@slhs.org  
 
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https://doi.org/10.31622/2020/0003.4
mailto:fpecha@slhs.org


Patient Satisfaction with Athletic Trainers Working in a Physician Practice Setting 
 

 

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Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 3 – Issue 1 – April 2020  

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