ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2023 September;182(9):525-35

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.23.04994-X

Copyright © 2023 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Exploring end users’ perspectives for the development of an injury surveillance system in Swiss Olympic wrestling

Adrien CERRITO ✉, Kai-Uwe SCHMITT

School of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland

BACKGROUND: Olympic wrestling is a full-contact sport presenting high injury incidence rates. In Switzerland, specific data are missing, therefore it is important to develop an injury surveillance system (ISS) for this setting. Developing an ISS is not simple, however, because content must be appropriate and compliance to the tool must be maximized. For these reasons, a user-centered design approach is beneficial. The aim of this study was to explore end users’ perspectives regarding an ISS and a proposed content via a survey.
METHODS: Participants were athletes, coaches, and members of the medical staff involved in the Swiss Olympic wrestling national squad. Four domains were covered in the survey: 1) current attitudes towards injury monitoring and prevention; 2) current monitoring practices and motivation levels to use an ISS; 3) perceived barriers and facilitators; and 4) acceptance of a proposed ISS content.
RESULTS: Participants appeared to have positive attitudes regarding the use of an ISS, but only a few already used one. Many different factors were mentioned that would either inhibit or facilitate the use of an ISS. These factors were related to the design of the ISS, to the organization of the federation, and to the effort caused by reporting injuries and the benefit gained from it. All items from the proposed content were generally accepted by the participants.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provided an initial insight into end users’ perspectives, which may permit the development of a valid ISS that is capable of attaining maximum compliance.

KEY WORDS: Wrestling; Surveys and questionnaires; User-centred design