Posttraumatic stress disorder in the orthopedic patient (continuing education credit)

Our clinical experience indicates that the incidence of PTSD in orthopaedic patients is higher than is described in the literature. Patients such as Karen, Jim and Bill are not uncommon. All individuals who experience an immensely stressful event are at risk for developing this complex response. Orthopaedic nurses must be knowledgeable about the multifaceted nature of the post trauma response, since they are in a key position to recognize its symptoms, participate in treatment, and facilitate individuals' return to a pretraumatic state.