Injured road users' health-related quality of life after telephone intervention: a randomised controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether nursing intervention via telephone follow-up can affect health-related quality of life among road users in the postinjury phase.


BACKGROUND
Injuries in the traffic environment often cause both physical impairment and psychological trauma. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether nursing via telephone follow-up after discharge could affect health-related quality of life among injured road users.


METHODS
A randomised controlled study.


METHODS
Between April 2003-April 2005, car occupants, cyclists and pedestrians, aged 18-70 years, all injured in the traffic environment, were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 288) or control group (n = 280). All patients were initially managed by one emergency department with the intervention group being followed up by nurse led telephone follow-up three weeks after discharge, while the control group did not receive any telephone follow-up. Data were collected from a mail survey using the non-disease-specific health-related quality of life instrument EQ5D, at baseline and after six months.


RESULTS
In general, the intervention group rated significantly higher health-related quality of life than the control group. This difference was most pronounced in the group of those provided with advice as part of telephone follow-up and significantly for the general health status. Car occupants gained most advantage from the nursing telephone follow-up, with significantly lower problems in the dimensions of pain/discomfort and usual activities.


CONCLUSIONS
Nursing intervention via telephone follow-up was effective at increasing the health-related quality of life of injured road users. Early identification of the concerns of the injured and specific advice provided by the intervening nurse seems to be of greatest weight. Thus, more research is needed regarding the usefulness of early support and the advantage of this from a health economic perspective.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need for changes in attitudes and working routines to identify individuals with low health-related quality of life and to give more extensive support from this point of view.
Franzén
Carin
C
Department of Nursing and Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Division of Surgery, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. carin.franzen@nurs.umu.se
Brulin
Christine
C
Stenlund
Hans
H
Björnstig
Ulf
U
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*