Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025-12-12
Abstract
When it comes to storing braces, crutches, boots, or slings at a college or university, most athletic training facilities store all of their materials in a closet or separate room to keep track of their inventory. This is due to the vast number of materials they have to keep on hand to provide for the many student-athletes attending the institution. At Xavier University, keeping a physical or electronic log to monitor inventory raises the possibility of improving the overall retention and distribution of said materials, allowing for better communication between athletic trainers and faster access of materials to athletes. Creating the idea of implementing documentation for the materials, specifically the walking boots, was guided by the number of boots that were being handed out and received back from athletes throughout each week. The goal of this quality improvement study was to demonstrate how implementing a change in documentation improves the accessibility of materials in a crowded storage room, allows for improved retention and distribution rates, and creates better efficiency in overall material handling from the ATR to athletes and back. The data collection for this study ran over the course of about two months, from the beginning of October to the end of November, with a goal of 10 total data points to be collected. After the conclusion of data collection, it was determined that the study was inconclusive on whether overall retention, distribution, and accessibility was improved. The limitations faced during the course of data collection affected the overall outcome of synthesizing the data and blurred the lines of whether or not the period of implementation was successful or not. Overall, more research and adjustments are indicated to demonstrate whether the implementation of online documentation would improve hypothesized outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Guyer, Sydney, "Improving Boot Inventory Utilizing Online Documentation: A Quality Improvement Report" (2025). Athletic Training Case Studies. 18.
https://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/at_casestudies/18
