Factors Associated With Long-term Outcomes After Injury: Results of the Functional Outcomes and Recovery After Trauma Emergencies (FORTE) Multicenter Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with patient-reported outcomes, 6 to 12 months after moderate to severe injury. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Due to limitations of trauma registries, we have an incomplete understanding of factors that impact long-term patient-reported outcomes after injury. As 96% of patients survive their injuries, several entities including the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine have called for a mechanism to routinely follow trauma patients and determine factors associated with survival, patient-reported outcomes, and reintegration into society after trauma. METHODS: Over 30 months, major trauma patients [Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥9] admitted to 3 Level-I trauma centers in Boston were assessed via telephone between 6 and 12 months after injury. Outcome measures evaluated long-term functional, physical, and mental-health outcomes. Multiple regression models were utilized to identify patient and injury factors associated with outcomes. RESULTS: We successfully followed 1736 patients (65% of patients contacted). More than half (62%) reported current physical limitations, 37% needed help for at least 1 activity of daily living, 20% screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), all SF-12 physical health subdomain scores were significantly below US norms, and 41% of patients who were working previously were unable to return to work. Age, sex, and education were associated with long-term outcomes, while almost none of the traditional measures of injury severity were. CONCLUSION: The long-term sequelae of trauma are more significant than previously expected. Collection of postdischarge outcomes identified patient factors, such as female sex and low education, associated with worse recovery. This suggests that social support systems are potentially at the core of recovery rather than traditional measures of injury severity.

It still hurts! Persistent pain and use of pain medication one year after injury.

BACKGROUND: Given the scarce literature data on chronic post-traumatic pain, we aim to identify early predictors of long-term pain and pain medication use after major trauma. METHODS: Major trauma patients (Injury Severity Score ≥ 9) from three Level I Trauma Centers at 12 months after injury were interviewed for daily pain using the Trauma Quality of Life questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models identified patient- and injury-related independent predictors of pain and use of pain medication. RESULTS: Of 1238 patients, 612 patients (49%) felt daily pain and 300 patients (24%) used pain medication 1 year after injury. Of a total of 8 independent predictors for chronic pain and 9 independent predictors for daily pain medication, 4 were common (pre-injury alcohol use, pre-injury drug use, hospital stay ≥ 5 days, and education limited to high school). Combinations of independent predictors yielded weak predictability for both outcomes, ranging from 20% to 72%. CONCLUSIONS: One year after injury, approximately half of trauma patients report daily pain and one-fourth use daily pain medication. These outcomes are hard to predict.

The impact of in-hospital complications on the long-term functional outcome of trauma patients: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The long-term consequences of in-hospital complications remain largely unknown. We sought to study the effect of complications on the long-term functional outcome of trauma patients. METHODS: Patients with an Injury Severity Score ≥ 9 admitted to 3, level I trauma centers between 2015 and 2017 were contacted 6 to 12 months postinjury and administered a validated trauma quality-of-life survey, assessing for the presence of any functional limitation. Functional limitation was defined as the inability to perform independently one or more activities of daily living (eg, driving, walking on flat surfaces/upstairs, dressing). Medical records and the trauma registry were reviewed systematically for all patient and injury variables. The occurrence of predefined in-hospital complications (eg, pneumonia, surgical site infection) was recorded. The impact of in-hospital complications on functional limitation was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of 1,709 patients, 1,022 completed the study. The mean age was 58 y, 56% were male, 94% had blunt trauma, and the mean Injury Severity Score was 15. A total of 168 patients (16.4%) had a minimum of 1 in-hospital complication and reported significantly more functional limitations in most activities of daily living at 6 to 12 months, compared with those without complications. In multivariable analyses adjusting for confounders, the occurrence of complications was associated with a greater likelihood of functional limitation 6 to 12 months postinjury (odds ratio = 1.82, 95% confidence interval 1.22-2.69, P = .003). CONCLUSION: Trauma patients with in-hospital complications have a worse long-term functional outcome. In addition to prevention of primary complications, more rehabilitation resources should be made available to trauma patients who survive complications.

Resilience and long-term outcomes after trauma: An opportunity for early intervention?

BACKGROUND: Resilience, or the ability to cope with difficulties, influences an individual's response to life events including unexpected injury. We sought to assess the relationship between patient self-reported resilience traits and functional and psychosocial outcomes 6 months after traumatic injury. METHODS: Adult trauma patients 18 years to 64 years of age with moderate to severe injuries (Injury Severity Score, ≥9) admitted to one of three Level I trauma centers between 2015 and 2017 were contacted by phone at 6 months postinjury and asked to complete a validated Trauma Quality of Life (T-QoL) survey and PTSD screen. Patients were classified into "low" and "high" resilience categories. Long-term outcomes were compared between groups. Adjusted logistic regression models were built to determine the association between resilience and each of the long-term outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 305 patients completed the 6-month interview. Two hundred four (67%) of the 305 patients were classified as having low resilience. Mean age was 42 ± 14 years, 65% were male, 91% suffering a blunt injury, and average Injury Severity Score was 15.4 ± 7.9. Patients in the low-resilience group had significantly higher odds of functional limitations in activities of daily living (odds ratio [OR], 4.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.48-9.34). In addition, patients in the lower resilience group were less likely to have returned to work/school (OR, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.71-6.19), more likely to report chronic pain (OR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.54-4.30) and more likely to screen positive for PTSD (OR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.58-5.54). CONCLUSION: Patients with low resilience demonstrated worse functional and psychosocial outcomes 6 months after injury. These data suggest that screening for resilience and developing and deploying early interventions to improve resilience-associated traits as soon as possible after injury may hold promise for improving important long-term functional outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic, level II.

Racial disparities in post-discharge healthcare utilization after trauma.

BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in trauma outcomes have been documented, but little is known about racial differences in post-discharge healthcare utilization. This study compares the utilization of post-discharge healthcare services by African-American and Caucasian trauma patients. METHODS: Trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS)≥9 from three Level-I trauma centers were contacted between 6 and 12 months post-injury. Utilization of trauma-related healthcare services was asked. Coarsened exact matching (CEM) was used to match African-American and Caucasian patients. Conditional logistic regression then compared matched patients in terms of post-discharge healthcare utilization. RESULTS: 182 African-American and 1,117 Caucasian patients were followed. Of these, 141 African-Americans were matched to 628 Caucasians. After CEM, we found that African-American patients were less likely to use rehabilitation services [OR:0.64 (95% CI:0.43-0.95)] and had fewer injury-related outpatient visits [OR:0.59 (95% CI:0.40-0.86)] after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the existence of racial disparities in post-discharge healthcare utilization after trauma for otherwise similarly injured, matched patients.

Lower education and income predict worse long-term outcomes after injury.

BACKGROUND: Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is known to be associated with higher morbidity and mortality following injury. However, the impact of individual SES on long-term outcomes after trauma is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of educational level and income on long-term outcomes after injury. METHODS: Trauma patients with moderate to severe injuries admitted to three Level-I trauma centers were contacted 6 months to 12 months after injury to evaluate functional status, return to work/school, chronic pain, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Lower SES status was determined by educational level and income. Adjusted logistic regression models were built to determine the association between educational level and income (lowest vs. highest quartile determined by census-tract area) on each of the long-term outcomes. A sensitivity analysis was performed using the national median household income ($57,617) as threshold for defining low versus high income. RESULTS: A total of 1,516 patients were followed during a 36-month period. Forty-nine percent had a low educational level, and 26% were categorized in the low-income group. Mean (SD) age and injury severity score were 60 (21.5) and 14.3 (7.3), respectively, with most patients (94%) having blunt injuries. After adjusting for confounders, low educational level was associated with poor long-term outcomes: functional limitation [odds ratio (OR), 1.78 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.41-2.26)], has not yet returned to work/school [OR, 2.48 (95% CI, 1.70-3.62)], chronic pain [OR, 1.63 (95% CI, 1.27-2.10)], and PTSD [OR, 2.23 (95% CI, 1.60-3.11)]. Similarly, low-income level was associated with not yet return to work/school [OR, 1.97 (95% CI, 1.09-3.56)], chronic pain [OR,1.70 (95% CI, 1.14-2.53)], and PTSD [OR, 2.20 (95% CI, 1.21-3.98)]. In sensitivity analyses, there were no significant differences in long-term outcomes between income levels. CONCLUSION: Low educational level is strongly associated with worse long-term outcomes after injury. However, although household income is associated with long-term outcomes, it matters where the threshold is. The impact of different socioeconomic measures on long-term outcomes after trauma cannot be assumed to be interchangeable. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and epidemiological, level III.

A multicenter study of post-traumatic stress disorder after injury: Mechanism matters more than injury severity.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury is strongly associated with long-term mental health disorders, but the risk factors for developing these disorders are poorly understood. We report on a multi-institutional collaboration to collect long-term patient-centered outcomes after trauma, including screening for post-traumatic stress disorder. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for the development of post-traumatic stress disorder after traumatic injury. METHODS: Adult trauma patients (aged 18-64) with moderate to severe injuries (Injury Severity Score ≥ 9) admitted to 3 level I trauma centers were screened between 6 and 12 months after injury for post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients were divided by mechanism: fall, road traffic injury, and intentional injury. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the association between baseline patient and injury-related characteristics and the development of post-traumatic stress disorder for the overall cohort and by mechanism of injury. RESULTS: A total of 450 patients completed the screen. Overall 32% screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder, but this differed significantly by mechanism, with the lowest being after a fall (25%) and highest after intentional injury (60%). Injury severity was not associated with post-traumatic stress disorder for any group, but lower educational level was associated with post-traumatic stress disorder within all the groups. Only 21% of patients who screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder were receiving treatment at the time of the survey. CONCLUSION: Post-traumatic stress disorder is common after traumatic injury, and the prevalence varies significantly by injury mechanism but is not associated with injury severity. Only a small proportion of patients who screen positive for post-traumatic stress disorder are currently receiving treatment.