Effectiveness of a Self-management Program After Traumatic Injury

Traumatic injuries, defined as a physical injury with sudden onset, are a leading cause to disability and impaired health. Persons who sustain a traumatic injury often report problems in daily life activities and reduced quality of life, which may limit participation in work/studies, leisure activities and family life. Consequently, complex rehabilitation and support is recommended in National Trauma guidelines due to the often long-lasting physical and psychological sequela of the injury.

The main goal of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a self-management support program delivered to persons with a moderate or severe traumatic injury in the sub-acute phase of recovery (i.e. 3-4 months after injury). The self-management program aims to enhance patients' self-efficacy by building skills and self-management strategies to cope with injury-related consequences. The program has a group-based format and consists of eight sessions comprising psychoeducation, skill mastery and sharing of experiences. The participants who will be included in the study must be between 18 and 70 years, be residing in the southeast region of Norway, be admitted to Oslo University hospital or transferred from local hospital within 72 hours after injury, have at least a two-day hospital stay, and be able to read and understand Norwegian language. Participants will be randomly assigned to either intervention or control group. A group of patients will also be able to self-select if they want to receive the self-management support program or be in the control group. The latter is an explorative part of the study to evaluate the influence of patients' treatment-preferences on the study outcomes. Participants in the control group will receive treatment as usual.