Patient-reported outcomes relevant to post-discharge trauma patients in urban India

Abstract

Trauma is a major global health burden with long-term consequences to patients. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly being recognized and utilized to improve trauma care. It is imperative to identify the PROs that are most relevant, applicable, and suitable to a context. However, there is limited research on PROs in trauma care in low- and middle-income countries, like India, that bear disproportionate burden of global trauma. This paper aims to examine PROs considered to be most relevant for trauma patients after discharge in the context of urban India. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews of 11 adult post discharge trauma patients, across demographic and injury groups, and two persons working with trauma patients from five tertiary-care public hospitals in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Kolkata. We performed thematic analysis to identify themes within the participants responses on PROs important to them based on their experiences. Four themes emerged in the analysis of the participant interviews. The need for full physical functioning, the need to address psychological consequences, the need to alleviate economic cost of trauma, and the need for social interactions. Outcomes related to these themes were most relevant to the participants. The findings of this paper can help researchers and clinicians select appropriate PROs, based on the four themes, for trauma research and to improve trauma care in urban India. Future research should focus on PROs relevant to specific demographic and injury groups in India and other LMICs.