Citation

Anke AG, Stanghelle JK, Finset A, Roaldsen KS, Pillgram-Larsen J, Fugl-Meyer AR. J. Trauma 1997; 42(1): 54-61.

Affiliation

Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Nesoddtangen, Norway.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9003258

Abstract

The prevalence of impairments and disabilities in activities of daily living (ADL), nonwork activities, and work were registered in a consecutive series (n = 69) of subjects with severe injuries. At follow-up 3 years after trauma, residual impairments prevailed in 80%. Only a few (6%) were ADL-dependent. Seventy-six percent had lost at least one nonwork activity, while vocational disability caused by the trauma occurred in 19%. Cognitive impairment was significantly associated with vocational disability, while physical impairment and pain were significantly associated with nonwork disability. Other parameters that influenced vocational disability negatively were age and blue-collar employment status. Although overall changes in social network quantity and quality were small, significantly more subjects with cognitive impairment or vocational disability experienced a decline in the quality and quantity of their social network after trauma. Furthermore, 25% of the subjects reported an increase in feelings of loneliness after trauma. We recommend the design of individualized, multidisciplinary rehabilitation plans before discharge from departments of surgery.

Language: en