Why Patient-Reported Outcomes Matter in Athletic Training
Athletic trainers (ATs) are trained to evaluate injuries, guide rehabilitation, and help patients safely return to activity. But successful care is about more than range-of-motion measurements, manual muscle testing, or special tests. It is also about understanding how the patient feels, functions, and experiences recovery throughout the rehabilitation process.
That is where patient self-reported outcomes (PSROs), often called patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), become increasingly important.
As health care continues to shift toward patient-centered care and value-based outcomes, athletic trainers who understand and use patient-reported outcomes will be better prepared for the future of the profession.
According to Kahler-Campbell’s article*, Role of Patient Self-Reported Outcomes, modern health care is moving away from a provider-centered approach and toward one that focuses more heavily on the patient’s lived experience and quality of life.
What Are Patient-Reported Outcomes?
Patient-reported outcomes are tools that allow patients to describe their own health status, symptoms, function, and quality of life. Instead of relying solely on clinical findings, these measures give patients a voice in the rehabilitation process.
For example, two athletes may both tear their ACL and undergo surgery on the same day. Objectively, their injuries may look nearly identical. However, their recoveries could feel completely different depending on pain levels, confidence, mental health, stress, support systems, or ability to return to normal activities.
That difference matters.
Patient-reported outcomes help clinicians capture information that cannot always be measured with a goniometer or strength test.
Why This Matters for Athletic Trainers
ATs often build strong relationships with their patients because of the amount of time spent together during rehabilitation. That relationship places ATs in an ideal position to use patient-centered outcome measures effectively.
Using PSROs can help athletic trainers:
- Track functional progress over time
- Improve communication with patients
- Identify barriers to recovery
- Better understand psychosocial concerns
- Support evidence-based practice
- Demonstrate the value of athletic training services
These tools can improve communication not only between the clinician and patient, but also among members of the health care team. For AT students, learning how to interpret and apply patient-reported outcomes early in clinical education can strengthen patient interactions and clinical decision-making skills.
Looking Beyond Physical Recovery
One of the biggest takeaways from the article is the reminder that injuries affect more than just the body. A serious injury can impact:
- Mental health
- Confidence
- Social participation
- Sleep
- School or work performance
- Overall quality of life
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures help clinicians understand how an injury is affecting the patient outside of the athletic training facility. This is especially important in athletic training settings where athletes may feel pressure to return quickly, hide symptoms, or minimize emotional struggles during rehabilitation.
A patient may demonstrate full strength during testing but still lack confidence in cutting, jumping, or returning to competition. Without asking the patient directly, those concerns can easily be missed.
Examples of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures
ATs may encounter both general and region-specific outcome tools. Some commonly used examples include:
- Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS)
- Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH)
- International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) form
- Oswestry Disability Index
- PROMIS outcome measures
Some PSROs focus on a specific body region or condition, while others evaluate overall health and quality of life. Choosing the right tool depends on the patient population, injury type, and clinical goals.
The Future of Health Care and Reimbursement
Patient-reported outcomes are becoming increasingly important across the broader health care system. The Affordable Care Act and value-based care models have increased the focus on quality outcomes, patient satisfaction, and accountability.
This matters because the profession continues to pursue expanded recognition and reimbursement opportunities. Demonstrating positive patient outcomes helps show the value of athletic training services to employers, physicians, administrators, and third-party payers. Patient satisfaction and patient-centered care are becoming major components of how health systems are evaluated and reimbursed.
In other words, outcomes data is no longer optional in many areas of health care. It is becoming part of standard practice.
Challenges with Implementation
While patient-reported outcomes offer many benefits, implementation can still be difficult. Common barriers include:
- Limited time during appointments
- Workflow disruptions
- Lack of familiarity with tools
- Patient compliance
- Technology limitations
Integrating these measures efficiently into clinical workflow and using technology to reduce burden on both patients and clinicians is important. Becoming comfortable with these systems now can make future transitions into practice settings much easier.
Athletic training continues to evolve alongside the rest of health care. While objective clinical findings remain essential, they only tell part of the story.
Patient-reported outcomes allow ATs to better understand the full impact of injury and recovery from the patient’s perspective. They improve communication, support evidence-based practice, and help demonstrate the value of athletic training services in a changing health care landscape.
Most importantly, they remind clinicians that rehabilitation is not just about treating an injury — it is about helping a person return to the activities, roles, and quality of life that matter most to them.
*Source: Michelle Kahler-Campbell, “Role of Patient Self-Reported Outcomes,” NATA Third Party Reimbursement Project.
