Long Term Outcomes of Trauma
The Long Term Outcomes of Trauma Research Study analyzes how trauma affects the physical, mental, and social health of patients after being released from the hospital. We assessed components such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, drug and alcohol use, pain, and relationship status. Patients are contacted before they are discharged or immediately following discharge to fill out the Baseline survey. They are then contacted 6 months later, 1 year later, and 2 years later to complete follow-up surveys in order to track their recovery. From the information that is received, the research team is hoping to implement long term patient care that is focused on improving the physical, mental, and social recovery of patients after injury. From the data that was received based on the Baseline surveys and the 6 month surveys, it is evident that trauma affects patients on a long term basis.
This summer, I contacted patients that were recently treated for a gunshot injury and discharged from the hospital to get their consent to participate in the study. If they decided to consent, I proceeded to go through a series of survey questions with them that assessed their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. These initial responses set the baseline conditions of the patients. I also contacted patients who had been involved in the study for 6 months or 12 months to complete their 6 month or 12 month follow up survey. These follow up surveys contained questions that were similar to the baseline questions. In addition to calling patients, I was also involved in testing other methods to reach patients in order to increase the level of participation in the study. One method that I tried was to contact patients while they were still in the hospital. I also texted discharged patients before calling them to give them a “heads up” that I would be calling later and to provide them with a short description of why I was calling. Lastly, I created a flyer that we plan to distribute to patients while they are in the hospital.
Overall, this program gave me the exposure to clinical research that I have been searching for. Although it was a remote opportunity, it provided me with experiences that I can utilize as I pursue a career in medicine. I was able to learn how to effectively conduct medical research through surveys and how to analyze the data. This opportunity also allowed me to get comfortable with talking to patients and empathizing with them, a skill that is crucial for a career in medicine.
Comments
Resources for helping those dealing with trauma
This is a great project! Do you have any recommendations as far as how to help people dealing with the long-term effects of trauma find and keep jobs? Do you think that it would be helpful for their place of employment to have an active role in helping them cope (appointing therapist, check-ins, etc) or should the person seek private resources away from the workplace?
Very interesting
You took a difficult topic, and researched it in a graceful and thoughtful manner. Incredible work!
Hi Deborah, thank you for…
Hi Deborah, thank you for sharing information on this difficult topic! Have you considered asking these patients' families and friends how interacting with the patient changed after their traumatic incident?
Such a Great Topic
I love that you delved into the effects trauma can have on a person long-term. I wonder if there would be a way to measure the effects of trauma besides a Q&A with patients -- because while useful, it can be hard to standardize for all patients. Did you guys think about using any biomarkers throughout the project? This can definitely be hard too, as you're not able to measure any biomarkers pre-gunshot as it's not predicted. I'm curious about your results section -- what is your takeaway from the average number being the same both on the baseline and after 6 months?
Very important research,…
Very important research, Deborah! Based on your findings, do you have any suggestions on how healthcare institutions can factor in trauma as part of the treatment plan? Or, did you find any literature/information on potential solutions regarding patient mental health care implemented by institutions?
Hello jparente@upenn.edu, …
Hello jparente@upenn.edu,
That is a very interesting angle. The survey that we used, PROMS 29, provides information about the patient's well being from the perspective of the patient, but it might be interesting to consider how they are doing after their injury from the perspectives of their friends and families. It will be especially helpful to analyze how their interactions might have changed for domains such as their participation in social activities. It can also help us to understand ways in which we can possibly advise family members or friends to help better the recovery process of their loved one. Thank you for the suggestion!
Great Work
Deborah, thank you so much for your great presentation. Your poster and video are both beautifully done! I think it's great to examine the impact that physical injury may have on mental health, especially when the topic isn't often talked about. Often times when discussing the long term impacts of trauma, studies focus solely on physical impacts. I love that your work includes both the physical and psychological impacts of physical trauma. Great work!
Hello nicolegd@upenn.edu, …
Hello nicolegd@upenn.edu,
While doing the research project, I also observed that oftentimes, patients would have difficulty answering some of the questions because either the question or the responses were not really applicable to them. We should definitely try to consider ways to possibly expand the scope of the questions or maybe involve other methods. In regards to your second question about the results, the similarity of the averages could have been due to a misunderstanding of what the baseline situation really meant. It is impossible for us to survey a patient before they are injured, so depending on how far from the injury we conduct the baseline survey, some patients may have a hard time really reporting about how they were before tehri injury and may be reporting on their present state after the injury. It is definitely something we have to consider when conducting these surveys. Another possibility may be that the patient was already in a difficult situation even before they were injured.
Hello shunmel@upenn.edu,…
Hello shunmel@upenn.edu,
Researching ways in which healthcare institutions can help these trauma survivors in their recovery process is definitely something that we will be doing moving forward. One thing that I think could be really helpful is for the hospital to implement a program that constantly checks up on these patients even after they have been released from the hospital in addition to any regular check-ins that are already in place. In addition, programs such as support groups could also be really helpful in this recovery process.
While the scope of the study…
While the scope of the study does not go beyond 2 years, I wonder what the effects of this type of trauma are 5, 10 , 15, etc years down the line. I also wonder how you felt while interacting with these patients because this is such a heavy topic. Amazing work!