Affiliations: Operation Aegis -- Injury Control, US Army Medical
Department Center and School, Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA | Occupational Therapy, US Army Medical Department
Center and School, Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Colonel Valerie J. Berg Rice, Ph.D.,
CPE, OTR/L, FAOTA, Director, Operation Aegis -- Injury Control, ATTN: MCCS-HMI
(COL Rice), 3151 Scott Road, Suite 1229, Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234-6100, USA.
Tel.: +1 210 221 0118, DSN: 471 0118; Fax: +1 210 295 9617, DSN: 421 9617
Abstract: Overuse injuries account for the majority of lost duty time profiles
for soldiers attending Advanced Individual Training (AIT) to become a Combat
Medic at Ft. Sam Houston (63% An intervention program was initiated with two
AIT Battalions (BN) in an effort to reduce overuse injuries. The purpose of
this paper is to describe methods of tracking the participation of supervisors
during the intervention program. Methods used to monitor participation included
recording the number of coordinating meetings, keeping minutes of advisory
committee meetings, and conducting perception surveys. Over an 18-month period,
the number of coordinating meetings decreased. Surveys identified the opinions,
values, and self-identified roles of supervisors (drill sergeants and cadre) in
regard to injury prevention with their assigned student-soldiers before and
after an intervention program. At the initiation of the injury control program,
103 individuals completed a 27 question, anonymous survey to assist planners
with developing a strategy that would encourage participation of cadre and
drill sergeants in preventing injuries. One year later, 191 individuals from
the same battalion completed the same survey. Results revealed a slight,
statistically insignificant, decrease in supervisors' perception of the
presence of overuse injuries in their BN (31.4% level of acceptable injuries
moved from the 16--30% 1--10% supervisors believed their physical training
programs could impact overuse injuries (pre 20.4% The results reveal several
methods to track the involvement of participants, to develop intervention
strategies, and to monitor cultural shifts necessary to the injury control
process.
