A Brief Intervention for Injury-Related Traumatic Stress: Results From a Feasibility Study

Area of Science:

• Trauma surgery
• Psychosocial interventions
• Mental health sequelae

Background:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly impairs quality of life after injury.
• Access to psychosocial care is a challenge for many injured patients, especially in low-resource settings.
• Brief interventions may improve care accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess staff and patient perceptions of implementing the Talk, Listen, Communicate to Recover (TLC to Recover) intervention.
• To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of TLC to Recover at a Level I trauma center.

Main Methods:

• Mixed methods approach examining a brief dyadic intervention from April 2021 to April 2024.
• Included adult patients at risk for PTSD/depression and outpatient trauma clinic staff.
• Assessed recruitment, retention, engagement, and patient symptoms; used interviews and focus groups for qualitative data.

Main Results:

• The surgical clinic setting was found to be feasible and acceptable for delivering the intervention.
• 15 patients and 11 staff participated in evaluations.
• The intervention showed potential for mitigating post-injury mental health issues.

Conclusions:

• Brief post-injury psychosocial interventions can be implemented in surgical settings.
• Findings offer insights for integrating such interventions into trauma care pathways.
• The TLC to Recover intervention shows promise for improving patient outcomes.