Prevalence and Patterns of Patient-Reported Missed or Delayed Injuries in Polytrauma Patients and Their Association...

Purpose Polytrauma patients may feel that certain injuries were not identified during the initial examination. The current study analyzed the prevalence of patient-reported missed or delayed injuries and their correlation with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), as measured by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Methods  A cross-sectional study of 250 polytrauma patients in Islamabad was conducted using demographic data, a study-specific patient-reported questionnaire for delayed or unrecognized injuries (SSMIQ), and SF-36 scores. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression using SPSS version 26. Results  Most participants were male (n = 212, 85%) and aged 18-29 years (n = 120, 48%). Patient-reported missed or delayed injuries were identified in 191 (76%) patients and were associated with worse quality of life (r = -0.28, p = 0.001). Patients with reported missed or delayed injuries had lower SF-36 scores than those without such injuries (85.9 ± 6.2 vs. 88.5 ± 5.4, p = 0.015). Older age, male sex, ICU admission, surgery, and ambulance arrival were other factors associated with lower quality of life. An independent association with lower quality-of-life scores was observed for patient-reported missed or delayed injuries (B = -2.85, 95% CI: -4.26 to -1.44; p = 0.001). Conclusion Patient-reported missed or delayed injuries were associated with poorer HRQoL. An organized tertiary survey, thorough examination, and post-discharge follow-up may help reduce missed injuries and improve outcomes.