Background. Little is known about the recovery process following non-life-threatening acute orthopaedic trauma from the viewpoint of the injured person. A better understanding could facilitate optimal rehabilitative planning. Objective. To explore patients’ views on factors important to them in recovery following non-life threatening acute orthopaedic trauma. Methods. Descriptive study utilizing content analysis and chi-square analysis. To better understand recovery expectations, 168 adults who had sustained non-life threatening acute orthopaedic trauma were surveyed at 2, 12, and 26 weeks after injury and invited to respond to the following question “what are the most important things necessary for you to best recover?” Results. According to participant’s responses, major themes on recovery involved a return to health and a return to health but with an ongoing plan, and for a minority (12%) recovery involved a focus on their current status. The study found that some recovery expectations changed over time. Conclusion. The journey to recovery is complex, often prolonged, and highly individual. Responses suggest that some injured persons need more assistance for a successful recovery than others. Those who appeared “caught in the moment” of the injury may benefit from clinical and rehabilitative management focusing on long-term recovery and acceptance of the injury event. 1. Introduction Acute traumatic injury is a major contributor to the global burden of injury [1]. Fortunately, with the continued evolution of advanced trauma systems, an increasing number of people are surviving traumatic injuries. Despite this, the dimensions of recovery from the viewpoint of the injured person are not well understood. Recovery is often measured in terms of return to work (RTW), pain levels, and activities of daily living using standardized patient report instruments [2–6]. However, it is clear that these instruments only account for certain aspects of the recovery process as research indicates they do not align well with the injured person’s experience of recovery. Positive recovery expectations predict better outcomes for a variety of health conditions including recovery from whiplash-associated disorders and lower back pain [7]. Quantitative studies have measured the association of recovery expectations with time lost from work, pain, and functional status as well as factors associated with recovery expectations [7, 8]. However, quantitative studies have limited ability to explore individual experiences and identify the finer intricacies of recovery from the point
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