The effect of early psychological symptom severity on long-term functional recovery: A secondary analysis of data from a cohort study of minor injury patients.
Sara F Jacoby, Justine Shults, Therese S Richmond
PMID 27863295WHAT IT FOUND
Minor injury patients with higher depression or anxiety symptoms soon after injury were more likely to have lower work performance and more bed days over the next year.
Screening these symptoms early may help identify people at risk of slower recovery.
Key findings
01Higher depression symptoms soon after injury were associated with lower work performance at 3 months and more bed days over the next year.
02Higher anxiety symptoms soon after injury were associated with lower work performance at 3 months and more bed days over the next year.
03At intake, most participants had no to mild symptoms, but 8.4% had moderate to severe depression and 10.2% had moderate to severe anxiety.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a secondary analysis, so it could only use the measures and follow-up times chosen for the parent study. Only work performance and bed days were examined, so it does not address pain, mobility, or other recovery outcomes important to patients. Bed days were recalled over the previous month, so they may be affected by recall bias. Data were collected from 2002 to 2007 in US emergency department patients with minor injury, so results may not apply everywhere. At 12 months, 248 of 275 participants had follow-up data, and those lost to follow-up were more likely to be male, injured in a motor vehicle crash, have a less severe injury, and have less education. Only 8.4% had moderate to severe depression and 10.2% had moderate to severe anxiety at intake, so the high-risk group was small.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that screening minor injury patients for depression and anxiety will improve recovery. This study only found associations between early symptom scores and later work performance and bed days. It did not test screening or referral as an intervention.