Journey towards recovery following physical trauma

Convalescence and recovery following illness are of central importance to n ursing. These themes have been explored increasingly in the literature. The focus, however, has been primarily on the process of integrating chronic i llness into one's life. Recovery from physical injury is rarely addressed. A body of work focusing on physical trauma demonstrates that recovery is of ten not complete after injuries that have not been viewed as disabling. To illuminate understanding of recovery following physical trauma, the purpose of our 1997 study was to describe more thoroughly the nature of recovery. A total of 63 adults, in a convenience sample, who survived serious physica l trauma, were interviewed 2.5 years after injury using an open-ended semis tructured interview guide. Three themes were identified: event, fallout, an d moving-on. These themes provided the organizing structure for exploring t he journey to recovery. This journey, as disclosed by the seriously injured , does not necessarily correspond with the views of most trauma clinicians. Traumatic events create a line of demarcation, separating lives into befor e and after. The event becomes the starting point of a journey to resume on e's life. The event itself is more than the trauma; it is the perceptual an d contextual experience that needs to be incorporated into a person's essen ce. Fallout from the injury is multifaceted and includes physical, psycholo gical, social, and spiritual dimensions. Moving-on in this journey is nonli near as survivors recognize their lives are forever different. The survivor s' accounts suggest that nurses should carefully consider the question, 'Wh at is successful recovery?'