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An exploration of recurrent injury prevention in patients with trauma
1School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Introduction/Purpose:
Individuals who have sustained an injury are also at an increased risk for recurrent injury. The purposes of this study were to explore perceptions of recurrent injury risk and prevention, factors associated with the initiation of behavioral and environmental injury prevention strategies, and barriers to injury prevention. The Health Belief Model provided the theoretical framework for this study.
Methods:
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, subjects completed a semi-structured interview. Questions were designed to explore subjects' perceptions and behaviors regarding strategies to prevent recurrent injury and any injury prevention information they may have received since their injury event.
Sample:
Thirty adults who had sustained a nonviolent unintentional injury, mean age 43, mean time since injury 4 months.
Results:
The majority of subjects reported high levels of perceived susceptibility to injury, and a large degree of perceived control in injury prevention. Factors associated with initiation of environmental strategies included injury to a lower extremity, lower physical function scores, use of an assistive device, and higher perceived injury severity. Few barriers to injury prevention were identified. DISCUSSION/CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Previously injured individuals made a variety of environmental and behavioral changes to prevent recurrent injury. However, subjects' perceived susceptibility for recurrent injury and lack of injury prevention information support the need for nursing interventions designed to decrease the risk of recurrent injury.