Follow-up calls after traffic accidents seen as effective
NEWS
People who suffered injuries in automobile accidents had reduced pain and discomfort as well as an improved quality of life after receiving a follow-up call from a nurse with three weeks after being released from the hospital, according to a study at Umeå University published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
The two-year study, led by Carin Franzén at the Department of Nursing, Umeå University, involved 568 car occupants, cyclists and pedestrians who were treated at the same emergency department after a traffic-related accident. The patients were between 18 and 70 and had moderate and severe injuries. The results showed that patients that received a phone call from a caretaker were 35% less likely to complain of pain and discomfort than those patients that received modern trauma care but no telephone follow-up. Car occupants had an even greater benefit from the phone call with a 40% reduction in complaints reported. All the patients were asked to complete identical quality of life questionnaires two weeks and six months after the accident.
“The data collected two weeks and six months after the accidents showed that the intervention group had significantly higher health-related quality of life than the control group,” says Carin Franzén, who defended her doctoral thesis in September, 2008.
The findings are unique within traffic accident research and generally support that a phone call from a sensitive caretaker who provides good information can instil security and trust in a patient. For the purposes of generally improving the quality of care in accident and emergency rooms, the aim above all should be a short waiting time, but the treatment of minor injuries should also be improved.
“Our study clearly demonstrates that this simple scheme, which provided nurse-led support and advice for people involved in traffic accidents, was effective and led to reduced problems and improved quality of life,” says Carin Franzén.
