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Paper Title:
The quality of life of
car crash survivors: a call to enhance the road safety agenda
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Authors:
Shanthi N. Ameratunga,
Robyn Norton, Jennie Connor, Rod Jackson
Abstract:
The 'road toll' has proven
a compelling focus and measure of success for road safety interventions.
Major reductions in road fatalities have coincided with increased
likelihood of surviving serious crashes. As the burden of traffic
injury shifts from the premature loss of life to a reduced quality-of-life,
the momentum gained by the road safety effort is threatened by minimal
information regarding the long-term health of crash survivors.
To determine the long-term
health-related quality-of-life of drivers and injured passengers
surviving serious injury-involved crashes. A consecutive series
of drivers involved in serious car crashes and a random sample of
the driving public were recruited to a large-scale population-based
cohort study in Auckland, New Zealand.
Participants were interviewed
at baseline, and 4 and 18 months following the crash or initial
survey. The principal outcome measure was the Short Form-36 (SF-36),
a multi-dimensional health status questionnaire.Overall, 251 drivers
and 74 passengers were interviewed at baseline and at 4 months following
the crash / initial survey. Approximately 88% of participants (222
drivers, 66 passengers) were re-interviewed at 18 months. Changes
in age- and sex-standardised SF-36 scores suggest significant deteriorations
in the physical and mental health of crash survivors compared with
the driving public of Auckland and the general population of New
Zealand. Survivors of serious car crashes sustain important losses
in health-related quality of life. The extent and characteristics
of long-term adverse health outcomes call for a renewed effort to
improve and advance road safety measures.
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