Experiences of Encountering Physical Trauma Caused by Traffic Accidents: A Qualitative Study

Background: Traffic accidents are the main cause of death and disability in the world and Iran. The Injuries caused by traffic accidents may result in severe limitations and worst outcomes in various aspects of lives of traffic accident injured people and their families. Therefore, understanding their experiences is very important to design better programs with regard to their treatment and returning to the society. In this regard, we conducted this study with the aim of understanding and describing the experiences of encountering with physical trauma resulting from traffic accidents. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted with qualitative research approach, using qualitative content analysis method. The study participants had a record of upper and or lower extremity injuries caused by traffic accidents of at least 3 months and at most 2 years after the accident. They were chosen by purposeful sampling method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and continued until data saturation. Data analysis was carried out using content analysis method. Results: The study findings based on the experiences of participants were conceptualized in three main categories; experiencing some limitations, disturbances in performing professional duties, and family problems caused by trauma. Conclusion: The study findings showed that injured people due to traffic accidents experience numerous constraints in different areas of their lives. Accordingly, proper interventions can be designed based on understanding these needs and experiences from participants’ own words to alleviate these problems. Finally, the study results provide a new insight to the medical team to understand these patients and their real health problems in a more realistic way.