State and federal violations of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) drug regulations by Athletic Trainers (ATs) and Physicians in all settings can have severe consequences. Anyone who is involved with handling medication must understand the limits of their authority. The penalties for individuals who fail to properly safeguard their actions can be severe and potentially career ending.
Unfortunately, there have been many reports and allegations from across the country concerning professional teams, universities, and colleges in regard to inappropriate handling of Rx and OTC medications. Because of this, research has been conducted regarding ATs’ handling of medications with athletes. These studies have yielded controversial results in regards to dispensing medication. Commonly sited potential violations include ATs engaging in drug distribution practices and improperly packaging medication. Due to theses violations further research was needed to help assess to what level ATs in the state of Ohio, who work in a high school or collegiate setting, understand their state rules and regulations in regards to administering and dispensing over the counter drugs. This is significant because some practicing ATs may be unsure of or may disregard the rules of their state statues regarding this topic.
This study is classified as a cross-sectional descriptive study that will describe Ohio employed ATs’ knowledge of drug administration and dispensing laws. A questionnaire was developed and electronically administered to a population of athletic trainers employed in Ohio colleges/universities and high schools. The demographic data were compiled and analyzed with The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Seven total demographic questions were analyzed by reporting frequencies. The four multiple choice scenarios and four true/false statements were graded to determine if the response was correct or incorrect. Further, test scores were compared by the following demographic variables, title, years of experience, and work setting.
The results of the study revealed that one third of the respondents had poor knowledge on the topic and would have failed (scores equal to or less than 5/8) had this been an actual test. It was noticed that there was no difference between knowledge of Head ATs compared to Assistant ATs and that years of experience did not appear to have an impact on knowledge. And lastly, it was revealed that overall athletic trainers who work in the high school settings were least knowledgeable on the survey topic compared to ATs that work in the collegiate setting.
Overall it appears that the respondents in this study struggled mostly with issues surrounding minors and being able to differentiate between dispensing versus administering medications. Continuing education in the area of drug dispensing and administration is necessary, as indicated by 96% of the respondents.