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

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly impacts post-injury quality of life; however, many injured patients struggle to access necessary psychosocial care. A brief intervention, Talk, Listen, Communicate to Recover (TLC to Recover), may facilitate access to psychosocial care in low resource trauma centers.

This study assessed staff and patient perceptions regarding the feasibility and acceptability of implementing TLC to Recover at a Level I trauma center.

This study used a mixed methods approach to examine the implementation of a brief dyadic intervention intended to mitigate the effect of potential post-injury mental health sequelae. The study took place from April 2021 to April 2024. Participants included adult patients who received post-injury care and were at risk for post-injury PTSD and/or depression. Outpatient trauma clinic staff participated in formative and summative evaluations of the intervention. Recruitment, retention rates, and engagement were assessed. Symptom measurements were administered to patients at baseline, two week follow-up, and one month to measure the effectiveness of TLC to Recover. Semistructured interviews and focus groups explored the acceptability of TLC to Recover among staff and patients. Summative template analysis was utilized to analyze qualitative data and integrated with the theoretical framework of acceptability.

A total of N = 26 participants were included in the summative and formative evaluations, of which n = 15 were patients and n = 11 were clinic staff. The surgical clinic was an acceptable and feasible context to deliver a brief intervention to patients at risk for post-injury PTSD and/or depression.

This study offers insight into opportunities for implementation of brief post-injury psychosocial interventions in a surgical context.