• Jiyeon Kang, Shin Ae Lee, Yeon Jin Joo, Hye Yoon Park, and Ye Rim Chang.
• Department of Medical Humanities and Education, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
• Yonsei Med. J. 2024 Dec 1; 65 (12): 703717703-717.

PurposePatients experience severe physical trauma every year. However, studies on survivors' experiences after severe injury are limited. Previous studies have mainly focused on time spans of trauma treatment. This study aimed to comprehensively explore survivors' experiences to improve the current quality of trauma treatment and highlight the importance of patient-centered care.Materials And MethodsStructured, face-to-face interviews with six domains were conducted on survivors aged ≥18 years who were previously hospitalized in an intensive care unit due to traumatic injuries. Self-reported questionnaires were administered for a multidimensional assessment of participants' conditions. Transcripts of each narrative were analyzed per grounded theory.ResultsFourteen participants were assessed. The median injury severity score was 25.5. The median elapsed time from injury to interview was 17.3 months. The physical and psychiatric difficulties of the participants remained unresolved even after completing rehabilitation. The main theme derived from the narratives were struggle with injury, consequences, and contributing factors, with the following subthemes: 1) suffering from injury and treatment, 2) psychological adaptation to the changed self and life after the accident, 3) significant family support, 4) gratitude to medical staff despite inadequacies in the healthcare system, and 5) legal and economic issues that impede recovery.ConclusionIncreased efforts focusing on enabling survivors of severe injury to return to society and improve their quality of life are needed, including the establishment of patient-centered care in the trauma field, extended care for the survivors' families, multidisciplinary treatment, and the collection of quantitative post-discharge data.© Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2024.

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