General health status and functional disability following injury in traffic crashes.
OBJECTIVE
With increasing rates of survival associated with traffic crashes, a shift to understand the consequences of injury has risen to prominence. This prospective cohort study set out to examine general health status and functional disability at 2 months and 6-8 months post-crash.


METHODS
Participants were otherwise healthy adults aged 18-59 years admitted to hospitals, excluding those with moderate-severe head injury and spinal cord injury. Sixty-two adults completed interviews prior to discharge and at 2 months and 8 months post-discharge.


RESULTS
By 8 months post-crash, 89 percent had resumed employment and or study, two thirds rated the resolution of their medical problems to be excellent (14.5 percent) or good (53 percent), and 82 percent were considered to be fully self-sufficient with respect to activities of daily living. Despite this, results from the SF-36 indicated significant reductions in health status at 2 and 8 months post-crash relative to pre-crash health, with domain scores up to 26 percent lower than pre-crash scores, while assessment of activities of daily living indicated residual functional disability at both follow-up times. Self-reported pain was higher for both males and females at both follow-up times compared with pre-crash self-reported pain.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated significant, ongoing loss of health-related quality of life and impairment associated with injuries sustained in road crashes, highlighting the need for continuing care post-discharge to facilitate a rapid return to optimal health.
Fitzharris
Michael
M
Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. mfitzharris@george.org.au
Fildes
Brian
B
Charlton
Judith
J
Kossmann
Thomas
T
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D014739:Victoria; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*