Identifying and Understanding the Health Information Experiences and Preferences of Caregivers of Individuals With Either Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, or Burn Injury: A Qualitative Investigation.

BACKGROUND: In order to meet the challenges of caring for an injured person, caregivers need access to health information. However, caregivers often feel that they lack adequate information. Previous studies of caregivers have primarily focused on either their time and emotional burdens or their health outcomes, but the information needs of caregivers have not been thoroughly investigated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to identify the preferred sources of health information for caregivers supporting individuals with injuries and to explore how access to this information could be improved. METHODS: A total of 32 caregivers participated in semistructured interviews, which were used in order to develop a more in-depth understanding of these caregivers' information needs. Digital audio recordings of the interviews were used for analysis purposes. These audio recordings were analyzed using a thematic analysis or qualitative content analysis. All of participant's interviews were then coded using the qualitative analysis program, Nvivo 10 for Mac (QSR International). RESULTS: The caregivers endorsed similar behaviors and preferences when seeking and accessing health information. Medical professionals were the preferred source of information, while ease of access made the Internet the most common avenue to obtain information. The challenges faced by participants were frequently a result of limited support. In describing an ideal health system, participants expressed interest in a comprehensive care website offering support network resources, instructive services about the injury and caregiving, and injury-specific materials. CONCLUSIONS: According to the participants, an ideal health information system would include a comprehensive care website that offered supportive network resources, instructive services about the injury and caregiving, and materials specific to the type of patient injury.

Nonfatal injury incidence and risk factors among middle school students from four Polynesian countries: The Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tonga.

INTRODUCTION: The burden of injuries in Pacific Island countries is understudied despite the known challenges associated with many residents having limited access to advanced medical and surgical care when they sustain a serious injury. This paper examines nonfatal injuries among early adolescent schoolchildren (those primarily ages 13-15 years) from four Polynesian countries. METHODS: Self-reported data from the 5507 middle school students who were randomly sampled for participation in the nationwide Global School-based Student Health Surveys (GSHS) in the Cook Islands (in the year 2009), Niue (2010), Samoa (2011), and Tonga (2010) were analysed with various statistical methods including regression models. Injuries were defined by the GSHS questionnaire as serious if they resulted in a full day of missed school or other usual activities or required medical treatment. RESULTS: The proportion of students reporting a serious injury in the past year was 43.1% in the Cook Islands, 40.8% in Niue, 73.8% in Samoa, and 49.1% in Tonga. In the Cook Islands and Samoa, boys reported more injuries than girls (p<0.01). The most common types of serious injuries reported were cuts and other skin trauma; broken bones and dislocated joints; and concussions, other head injuries, or difficulty breathing. The most common causes of serious injuries reported were falls; motor vehicle accidents; and attacks, fights, or abuse. For both boys and girls, being bullied in the past month, being physically attacked or in a physical fight in the past year, using alcohol and tobacco, skipping school, and having anxiety or loneliness were associated with a higher likelihood of injuries. CONCLUSIONS: School-based health education programs targeting prevention of intentional and unintentional injuries may benefit from emphasising Polynesian values and promoting personal mental and physical health, healthy behaviours, and healthy family and community relationships.