The impact of symptom burden on the health status of service members with extremity trauma

• Published in: Nursing outlook Vol. 65; no. 5; pp. S61 - S70
• Main Authors: Young-McCaughan, Stacey, Bingham, Mona O., Vriend, Catherine A., Inman, Alice W., Gaylord, Kathryn M., Miaskowski, Christine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2017
• Subjects: Active duty military personnel; Adult; Amputation - psychology; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Combat; Cost of Illness; Depression; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Female; Health Status; Humans; Leg Injuries - psychology; Male; Middle Aged; Military Personnel; Nursing; Pain; Sleep disturbance; Sleep Wake Disorders - epidemiology; Trauma; Young Adult; Sleep disturbance; Active duty military personnel; Pain; Combat; Depression; Anxiety; Trauma
• ISSN: 0029-6554; 1528-3968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2017.06.016

Service members injured in combat undergo repeated surgeries and long recoveries following a traumatic injury that produce a myriad of physical and psychological symptoms. To describe the severity of pain, sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety in service members with extremity trauma sustained during combat operations at the time of discharge from the hospital and to evaluate for differences in health status between those with and without symptom burden. Descriptive study of 130 United States Army service members. More than 80% of the service members were classified as having symptom burden. Service members who reported one or more clinically meaningful levels of pain, sleep disturbance, depression, or anxiety reported significantly worse health status compared to those without symptom burden. Service members with extremity trauma experience clinically significant levels of pain, sleep disturbance, depression, and/or anxiety at the time of discharge from the hospital. The greater the service members’ symptom burden, the worse their reported health status. •Sleep disturbance and pain were the most frequently reported symptoms.•The higher the symptom burden, the worse the reported health status.•Higher symptom burden could place patients at risk for delayed recovery.