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Expert consensus and perspectives on recovery following road traffic crashes: a Delphi study
Esther J Smits1, Elise M Gane2,3,4, Charlotte L Brakenridge1
1RECOVER Injury Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Purpose:
To reach expert consensus on a definition for recovery following minor and moderate road traffic crash-related injuries and key factors that influence recovery, and to explore expert perspectives on risk identification methods.
Materials And Methods:
A three-round Delphi study was conducted in which 47 experts (insurance representatives, health care professionals and researchers) were consulted.
Results:
Strong expert agreement (86%) was reached for the definition: "Recovery is multifaceted and includes return to activities of daily living (ADLs), work and social/leisure activities at pre-injury level or at a level deemed acceptable by the individual, with minimal ongoing pain and symptoms, considering physical and mental health and wellbeing". Agreed key factors that influenced recovery included: resilience; coping skills; recovery expectations; pre-existing physical and mental health; workplace support; and, collaboration between the injured individual, treating providers and claim handlers. Expert perspectives on risk identification methods were mixed.
Conclusions:
An accepted definition for recovery following minor and moderate road traffic crash-related injury was established, which could facilitate communication and engagement between different rehabilitation stakeholders. Strong consensus was achieved on nine key factors that influenced recovery. Further research is needed to evaluate whether injured persons agree with this definition and on the utility of risk identification methods.Implications for rehabilitationExpert consensus was established for a definition of recovery following minor and moderate road traffic crash-related injuries and nine key influencing factors.An established definition could facilitate communication and engagement between all rehabilitation stakeholders, which could improve the recovery process of the injured person.Rehabilitation professionals need to be familiar with the role of psychosocial factors, such as recovery expectations, resilience and coping skills, in the recovery process.The use of physical and psychological outcome measures at regular intervals could help to identify risk of poor recovery following minor and moderate road traffic crash-related injuries.
