E. K. Grill1, E. Hall1, F. Grissom1, M. Mcunn1 1University Of Maryland School Of Medicine,Trauma And Critical Care/Anesthesiology/ R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center,Baltimore, MD, USA
Introduction: Survival following traumatic injury is a quantitative measure that does not account for quality of life after discharge. Little is known about the global needs of trauma survivors or what outcome measures are meaningful from their perspective. Key informant interviewing is a qualitative technique that can characterize needs of trauma survivors. We hypothesize that trauma survivors and their “pit crew” – family and friends – can inform trauma care providers of unmet physical, mental health, social and financial needs after discharge.
Methods: Trauma survivors (S) and pit crew (PC) were invited to participate using snowball recruitment through the Trauma Survivors Network. Interviews were conducted in person or over the phone from 6/2015 to 6/2016. One of two researchers asked a combination of pre-determined open ended and probing questions. All interviews were recorded with a Livescribe™ pen and reviewed for thematic analysis.
Results: 25 survivors and 25 PC members were interviewed. Not all S had their PC represented, and vice-versa (e.g. these are not dyads). Recruitment was halted once thematic saturation was reached. Interviews lasted between 30 and 300 minutes (mean = 1.6 hr). 76% of trauma survivors expressed unmet mental health needs, including past suicidal ideations or attempts (20%). Over half of S were in financial difficulty as a result of their trauma. Both S and PC expressed challenges with pain control, with 44% of subjects expressing pain management or addiction difficulties. (Table I)
Conclusion: A substantial portion of those S and PCs interviewed had long-term mental health and financial needs. This finding allows tailored, patient-centered interventions to be designed and implemented for long-term trauma care. As the definition of a successful trauma intervention is revised, outcome measures informed by patient experience are essential in order to improve quality, not just quantity, of life after trauma.
