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Hospital-based psychological consultation relates to post-discharge treatment engagement following violent injury
Sydney C Timmer-Murillo1, Claire M Bird, Andrew T Schramm
1Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery (S.C.T.-M., A.T.S., T.J.G.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI; Baylor Scott and White Research Institute (C.M.B.), Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (S.M.), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience (D.J.), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Department of Surgery (N.R.S.), The Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, HI; Department of Psychiatry (M.R.M.), University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Background:
The field of trauma surgery has recognized the significant psychological distress and psychiatric comorbidity of trauma patients, and, increasingly, the critical role that psychological factors play in patients' long-term adjustment to injury. Patients experiencing violence-related injuries are at added risk of poor mental health outcomes. The current study sought to better understand the association between contact with a psychology consultation service during hospitalization for violently injured patients and post-discharge health care utilization.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study from 2016 to 2022 of adults older than or equal to 18 years with traumatic injuries was conducted at a level I trauma center in the US Midwest from 2017 to 2022. Trauma Registry and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data were pulled for injury characteristics (injury severity score, length of hospital stay), receipt of inpatient psychological consultation, the total time spent with psychology services during the hospitalization, hospital readmission, emergency department visits, and outpatient injury-related and mental health visits. Four analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) examined differences in health care utilization outcomes between patients who received psychology consultations and those who did not. Further, linear regressions examined if total amount of psychology service time was associated with outcomes.
Results:
A total of 3,322 patients (M age =34.55, SD=13.23) were admitted for a violence-related injury between 2016 and 2022. The results demonstrated that those with psychological consultations had more post-discharge injury-related appointments, mental health appointments, and ED visits, but not readmissions. Further, total time with inpatient mental health service predicted post-discharge injury-related and mental health service utilization.
Conclusions:
Results indicate that involvement with inpatient psychology services post-injury was associated with follow-up care attendance. With prior research showing patient engagement improving recovery outcomes, embedded psychological care may aid in reducing barriers to treatment both inpatient and post-discharge. ( J Trauma Acute Care Surg . 2026;101: 503-510. Copyright © 2026 Wolters Kluwer Health, LLC. All rights reserved.).
Level Of Evidence:
Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.
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