Articles: trauma.
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Traumatic orthopedic injuries are common and frequently associated with persistent pain, disability, and emotional distress. Risk factors of persistent pain and disability include pain catastrophizing and pain anxiety, though most interventions for orthopedic injuries are primarily biomedical (eg, surgeries, pharmacology, physiotherapy/exercise). The Toolkit for Optimal Recovery (TOR) is a brief, live video mind-body program designed to directly target pain catastrophizing and anxiety in patients with recent traumatic orthopedic injury to prevent persistent disability. ⋯ A multiple mediation analysis using multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) demonstrated that pain catastrophizing (b = -5.22, SE = 3.02, Bootstrapped 95% CIs = -0.04, -12.37) and pain anxiety (b = -8.45, SE = 3.59, Bootstrapped 95% CIs = -0.04, -12.37) each significantly mediated improvement in physical function. Overall, findings elucidate the mechanistic role of TOR's primary treatment targets (ie, reductions in pain catastrophizing and anxiety) in improving physical function. Findings highlight the importance of targeting pain catastrophizing and pain anxiety early after orthopedic injury through psychosocial interventions such as TOR.
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Trauma is consistently among the top ten causes of death worldwide. The aging population, constituting 15.21% of adults aged over 65 in Taiwan as of November 2019, has significantly impacted healthcare expenditures. This study aimed to explore the prognosis and resource utilization in patients with geriatric trauma. ⋯ Elderly patients had a longer LOS, higher mortality and complication rates, and higher total medical costs. The required medical expenses for elderly trauma cases were relatively higher than those for younger individuals. Relevant authorities should consider patient age when formulating policies for trauma reimbursement. Based on our findings, healthcare resource utilization can be reduced by decreasing the length of hospital stay and mitigating trauma severity. We recommend collecting more detailed data, extending the study period, and engaging in multicenter collaborations to validate our findings and provide a roadmap for further research. We suggested that interventional studies are needed to test strategies aimed at reducing resource utilization and improving outcomes in elderly trauma patients, which would be valuable.