Learning Objective #1: Understand the complexity of the experience of having a traumatic injury

Learning Objective #2: Explore the processes that individuals with traumatic injuries use to manage their everyday lives

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Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of serious traumatic injury in the country, whith total societal costs, including direct medical care, rehabilitation, lost income and productivity, exceeding $224 billion annually (Healthy People 2010). According to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ASCOT)National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) Annual Report (2003), motor vehicle crashes account for 39% of the 548,735 cases that were submitted from 1997 to 2002, and account for the largest number of hospital and intensive care unit days. Factors that influence recovery and psychological adjustment following a traumatic injury have been identified by researchers, but little research has been done to provide an in-depth description of processes used by individuals with traumatic injuries as they manage their everyday lives. The purpose of this study is to develop a theoretical framework that describes how individuals with traumatic injuries manage their everyday lives following a motor vehicle crash. A purposive sample of approximately 50 subjects who have experienced a traumatic inury following a motor vehicle crash will be recruited. Recruitment will occur from a Trauma Outpatient Clinci within a Level 1 Trauma Center in Ohio. Data collection will include an in-depth face to face interview and collection of medical and demographic information. Using an interview guide, participants will be asked to describe how they have managed their lives from the time of the crash until they were "medically cleared". Data will be analyzed using grounded theory techniques. The knowledge gained from this research will have conceptual application as it will allow nurses to have a deeper understanding and richer appreciation of the experiences of those who have suffered traumatic injuries and a practical application as information gained may provide the foundation for nursing interventions to support these individuals in thier attempts to successfully manage their lives.