Publication year
2013
Citation Title
Evaluating the needs of military and veterans’ families in a polytrauma setting.
Journal Name
Rehabilitation Psychology
Journal Volume
58
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
106-110
DOI
10.1037/a0031693
Summary
Caring for a Service member who has experienced polytrauma injuries is often taxing for family members. Family members of military polytrauma patients admitted to a polytrauma rehabilitation center were surveyed regarding their needs and satisfaction with treatment. Families perceived health information needs as most important and most frequently met, and although emotional and instrumental needs were seen as least important, a sizable percentage reported they were unmet.
Key Findings
Families rated the need for health information as most important, as well as the most frequently met need.
Among health information needs, families felt that complete, honest, and current information about the patient was one of the most important.
Families rated the need for emotional and instrumental support as least important, as well as the least frequently met need.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer support groups for family members to discuss concerns and obtain support from friends, family, and others with similar experiences
Educate families regarding practical information (e.g., coordinating appointments, administering medication) required to provide care to a Service member with complex injuries and needs
Provide workshops for Service members and their families that allow them to renegotiate family roles and responsibilities and openly discuss emotions related to family changes
Implications for Policy Makers
Support the development of new polytrauma rehabilitation centers and accessible, long-distance transportation to minimize travel requirements placed upon families living far from these centers
Encourage the development of a comprehensive support structure, including individual liaisons to coordinate and connect services and resources for Service members with complex injuries
Recommend that all rehabilitation centers include physical space to meet the needs of Service members' families (e.g., rest areas, family conference rooms, child play areas)
Methods
Family members of patients admitted to a polytrauma rehabilitation center in Richmond, Virginia were recruited from July 2007 to January 2010 with a 30% enrollment rate.
Family members completed an anonymous questionnaire regarding their psychosocial and educational needs after their Service member's trauma.
Percentages of families reporting needs were examined to determine the needs most and least important to family members and which needs the center was meeting.
Participants
Of the 44 participating family members of 17 patients, they were 48% parents, 34% spouses, 9% siblings, 2% adult children, and 7% another relative or power of attourney.
Family members were primarily White (84%) and married (75%) and had an average age of 42.9 years (SD = 14.5).
Patients were either Active Duty or Veteran Service members with polytrauma injuries (45% sustained in OEF/OIF), including a majority with a traumatic brain injury (81%); they were 97% male and had an average age of 30 years (SD = 9.4).
Limitations
The small sample derived from a single polytrauma clinic and families of inpatients only may limit generalizability of the findings.
This is a cross-sectional study, which precluded evaluating families’ needs as patient condition changed or following discharge.
The effects of patient characteristics (e.g., medical history, military or deployment history) or family member characteristics (e.g., parent vs. spouse) were not evaluated.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct a longitudinal study to evaluate changes in families’ needs over time
Examine how Service members' prior health, as well as family members' mental and physical health, may affect the needs of family members caring for polytrauma patients
Explore patient and family member needs in a larger, more diverse sample to increase generalizability of the findings
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Objective: To examine the perceived importance of needs and the extent to which they are met among a sample of family members in an inpatient polytrauma setting. Method: The Family Needs Questionnaire was administered to 44 family members of patients at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center over a 30-month period. Results: Families rated health information needs as most important and most frequently met. conversely, family members rated emotional support and instrumental support needs as least important and most frequently unmet. Conclusion: Preliminary data suggest that the similarity between family needs in military and civilian settings is noteworthy, and provide direction for development of empirically based family intervention models for polytrauma settings.
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