Recovery, coping, and service access after major trauma in regional, rural, and remote Tasmania, Australia.

Abstract

Understanding the lived experience of major trauma survivors who have engaged with recovery and rehabilitation services is a vital component of trauma system quality improvement. The purpose of this study was to explore the first 12 months of major trauma recovery from the perspectives of those with lived experience across different geographical locations (regional, rural and remote). Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were conducted with nineteen major traumatic injury survivors (aged 28 to 74 years; 78.9% male; 73.7% living in a regional area) who were on average 1.9 years post injury. Interviews were thematically analysed, and four superordinate themes were generated: (1) <i>communication in acute recovery</i>, (2) <i>transition from hospital to home</i>, (3) <i>service quality and accessibility</i>, and (4) <i>recovery beyond physical rehabilitation</i>. Overall, the findings illustrate potential avenues to better support major traumatic injury survivors with their recovery, across a range of geographical areas.