Collegiate Athletic Trainers' Self-Reported Strategies and Motives for Using Electronic Medical Record Systems and Investigations Into Meaningful Use

Purpose: To investigate collegiate athletic trainers' self-reported documentation strategies and motives for using electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Methods:A cross-sectional design with a web-based survey was used.Participants (N = 367, response rate = 7.9%) self-reported frequency and rationale for documenting patient care information, patient information, injury/condition information, treatment and rehabilitation, and communication.Results: Most collegiate athletic trainers reported documenting initial evaluations (344 of 367, 83.7%), follow-up evaluations (256 of 367, 69.7%), discharge/return-to-participation (267 of 367, 72.7%), interventions (241 of 367, 65.7%), and communication with supervising physicians (171 of 367, 45.6%) almost every time in their EMR systems.Tracking patient progress, legal obligations, and legal protection were the most common reasons for documenting patient care, which aligns with federal guidelines for meaningful use of electronic health information.Conclusions: Previous research suggests that athletic trainers do not often document patient care, whereas this study suggests collegiate athletic trainers self-report documenting more frequently.EMR systems appear to improve documentation adherence, which may be due to ease of access or institutional standards/policies.