Citation

McCarthy ML. J. Trauma 2007; 63(6 Suppl): S122-9; discussion S130-5.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. mmccarth@jhmi.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/TA.0b013e31815accdf

PMID

18091203

Abstract

Consideration of children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after injury is a critical aspect of outcome in assessing the effectiveness of trauma care. Numerous instruments are available today for measuring the HRQOL of injured children. HRQOL instruments reflect the subjective perspective of the impact an injury or disease has on a child's physical, emotional, and social well being. Most studies to date have examined children's HRQOL during the first year postinjury, relatively little is known about children's long-term HRQOL after trauma. Most trauma outcome studies have included children with heterogeneous injuries so the impact of specific injuries on HRQOL outcomes has not been well established. The majority of outcome studies have focused on injured children who have been hospitalized, however the research should be extended to the emergency department because a large proportion of injured children are treated and released from there. In addition to documenting recovery, investigators should use HRQOL instruments to evaluate the quality of care we offer injured children and their families. Rigorously conducted HRQOL assessment will provide valuable information that we can use to successfully optimize children's recovery after trauma.

Language: en