Introduction: The loss of quality of life is the major consequence following a non-fatal road traffic accident (RTA). Previous research regarding quality of life did not include uninjured RTA survivors. The research aim was thus to evaluate the quality of life of the RTA survivors regardless of whether or not they sustained injures, and to identify factors associated with decreased quality of life after the RTA.
Methods: A cohort of 200 RTA survivors with and without injuries was followed after experiencing an RTA. The quality of life and mental health outcomes were assessed 1 month following RTA. A vast range of sociodemographic, pre-RTA health-related, RTA related, RTA injury-related, compensation-related factors and mental health outcomes were investigated.
Results: Decreased quality of life following an RTA showed an association with the low socioeconomic status of the RTA victims, poor pre-RTA health, injury-related factors, compensation-related factors and psychological disorders after the RTA.
Conclusions: Identifying predictors of decreased quality of life following an RTA will enable planning interventions targeting the most important factors that influence recovery of RTA victims. Assessing and recording of self-reported quality of life should be a part of the routine protocol in RTA survivors' health-care.
Uvod: Poslabšanje kakovosti življenja je glavna posledica cestnoprometne nesreče (CPN), ki nima smrtnega izida. Pretekle raziskave kakovosti življenja niso vključevale preživelih CPN, ki se niso poškodovali. Cilj raziskave je bil oceniti kakovost življenja preživelih CPN, ne glede na to, ali so bili poškodovani, in prepoznati dejavnike, povezane z zmanjšano kakovostjo življenja po CPN.
Metode: Spremljali so kohorto 200 ljudi, ki so preživeli CPN, s poškodbami ali brez njih. En mesec po CPN so ocenili kakovost življenja in izide duševnega zdravja. Raziskali so širok spekter socialno-demografskih dejavnikov; dejavnikov, povezanih z zdravjem pred CPN; dejavnikov, povezanih s poškodbami v CPN; dejavnikov, povezanih z odškodnino, in izidov duševnega zdravja.
Rezultati: Izkazalo se je, da je zmanjšana kakovost življenja po CPN povezana z nizkim socialno-ekonomskim statusom žrtev CPN, slabim zdravjem pred CPN, dejavniki, povezanimi s poškodbami, dejavniki, povezanimi z odškodnino, in psihološkimi motnjami po CPN.
Sklepi: Prepoznavanje napovednih znakov zmanjšane kakovosti življenja po CPN bo omogočilo načrtovanje intervencij, usmerjenih v najpomembnejše dejavnike, ki vplivajo na okrevanje žrtev CPN. Ocenjevanje in evidentiranje samoocenjene kakovosti življenja bi morala biti del rutinskega protokola zdravstvenega varstva preživelih CPN.
Keywords: compensation; health status; injury severity; quality of life; road traffic accident.
© 2020 Jelena Kovačević, Maja Miškulin, Matea Matić Ličanin, Josip Barać, Dubravka Biuk, Hrvoje Palenkić, Suzana Matić, Marinela Kristić, Egon Biuk, Ivan Miškulin, published by Sciendo.