title: Use of health care services 6 months following major trauma.
abstract: To establish the use of health care services 6 months following major trauma, 243 blunt major trauma patients were recruited during their acute hospital stay and followed up by telephone interview at 6 months post-injury. Data collected at 6 months included health care service usage and their level of disability according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale--Extended (GOSE). Ninety-four percent of patients were living in the community at 6 months, and most (69%) reported continued use of health care services. Of those with ongoing disability, non-compensable patients were significantly more likely (OR 3.7; 95% CI, 1.6-8.6) to have ceased health care service use than compensable patients, independent of injury severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Central and Eastern Clinical School, The Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia. belinda.gabbe@med.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: Belinda J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Gabbe
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.forename: Owen D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D013997:Time Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation