Top

Published in:

Open Access 01-12-2005 | Research

Health-related quality of life in urban surgical emergency department patients: Comparison with a representative German population sample

Authors: Bruno Neuner, Peter M Miller, Bodo Felsmann, Edith Weiss-Gerlach, Tim Neumann, Klaus Dieter Wernecke, Claudia Spies

Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes | Issue 1/2005

Abstract

Background

Patients in emergency departments show a high prevalence of substance use. Quality of life is associated with substance use as well as socioeconomic status. Little is known about quality of life in substance-abusing young patients with minor trauma.

Methods

An investigation in an Emergency Department in an inner city university hospital was conducted during 8 months. Overall, 1,596 patients completed the SF-36 and an established SES-questionnaire and were screened for substance use (harmful alcohol consumption (≥ 8 points in men and ≥ 5 points in women on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), smoking and illicit drug use). Results were compared with a representative German population sample (German Federal Health Survey 1998).

Results

Median age of participants was 32 years and 61.8% were male. Mean physical component summary score (PCS) of the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) was 53.4 ± 8.3 points and significantly higher than the age and gender-stratified German Federal Health Survey-data. Mean mental component summary score (MCS) was 47.9 ± 10.0 points and significantly lower than the age and gender-stratified German Federal Health Survey-data. In Emergency Department patients, prevalence of substance use was high and harmful alcohol consumption and illicit drug use were strongly associated with impaired mental health. Education and occupational status were strongly positively associated with physical health.

Conclusion

We conclude that there is a high prevalence of substance use in young patients with minor trauma and mental quality of life is impaired. Screening and brief intervention strategies to reduce substance-use associated disorders should consider these findings.

Available only for authorised users

Daeppen JB, Krieg MA, Burnand B, Yersin B: MOS-SF-36 in evaluating health-related quality of life in alcohol-dependent patients. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 1998, 24: 685–694.PubMedCrossRef

McKenna M, Chick J, Buxton M, Howlett H, Patience D, Ritson B: The SECCAT survey: I. The costs and consequences of alcoholism. Alcohol Alcohol 1996, 31: 565–576.PubMedCrossRef

Volk RJ, Cantor SB, Steinbauer JR, Cass AR: Alcohol use disorders, consumption patterns, and health-related quality of life of primary care patients. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1997, 21: 899–905.PubMedCrossRef

Kraemer KL, Maisto SA, Conigliaro J, McNeil M, Gordon AJ, Kelley ME: Decreased alcohol consumption in outpatient drinkers is associated with improved quality of life and fewer alcohol-related consequences. J Gen Intern Med 2002, 17: 382–386. 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2002.10613.xPubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef

Falck RS, Wang J, Carlson RG, Siegal HA: Crack-cocaine use and health status as defined by the SF-36. Addict Behav 2000, 25: 579–584. 10.1016/S0306-4603(99)00040-4PubMedCrossRef

Reid A, Lynskey M, Copeland J: Cannabis use among Australian adolescents: findings of the 1998 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Aust N Z J Public Health 2000, 24: 596–602.PubMedCrossRef

Richter D, Eikelmann B, Berger K: Use of the SF-36 in the evaluation of a drug detoxification program. Qual Life Res 2004, 13: 907–914. 10.1023/B:QURE.0000025589.07313.46PubMedCrossRef

Wilson D, Parsons J, Wakefield M: The health-related quality-of-life of never smokers, ex-smokers, and light, moderate, and heavy smokers. Prev Med 1999, 29: 139–144. 10.1006/pmed.1999.0523PubMedCrossRef

Arday DR, Milton MH, Husten CG, Haffer SC, Wheeless SC, Jones SM, Johnson RE: Smoking and functional status among Medicare managed care enrollees. Am J Prev Med 2003, 24: 234–241. 10.1016/S0749-3797(02)00643-8PubMedCrossRef

10.

Sims DW, Bivins BA, Obeid FN, Horst HM, Sorensen VJ, Fath JJ: Urban trauma: a chronic recurrent disease. J Trauma 1989, 29: 940–946.PubMedCrossRef

11.

Poole GV, Griswold JA, Thaggard VK, Rhodes RS: Trauma is a recurrent disease. Surgery 1993, 113: 608–611.PubMed

12.

Freitag FG, Kozma CM, Slaton T, Osterhaus JT, Barron R: Characterization and prediction of emergency department use in chronic daily headache patients. Headache 2005, 45: 891–898. 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2005.05157.xPubMedCrossRef

13.

Mandelberg JH, Kuhn RE, Kohn MA: Epidemiologic analysis of an urban, public emergency department's frequent users. Acad Emerg Med 2000, 7: 637–646.PubMedCrossRef

14.

Neumann T, Neuner B, Gentilello LM, Weiss-Gerlach E, Mentz H, Rettig JS, Schroder T, Wauer H, Muller C, Schutz M, Mann K, Siebert G, Dettling M, Muller JM, Kox WJ, Spies CD: Gender differences in the performance of a computerized version of the alcohol use disorders identification test in subcritically injured patients who are admitted to the emergency department. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2004, 28: 1693–1701.PubMedCrossRef

15.

Saunders JB, Aasland OG, Babor TF, de la Fuente JR, Grant M: Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): WHO Collaborative Project on Early Detection of Persons with Harmful Alcohol Consumption--II. Addiction 1993, 88: 791–804.PubMedCrossRef

16.

2000 Allbus Standardkategorien Zentrum für Umfragen und Methoden und Analysen (ZUMA) Mannheim, Germany 2003.

17.

Baker SP, O'Neill B, Haddon WJ, Long WB: The injury severity score: a method for describing patients with multiple injuries and evaluating emergency care. J Trauma 1974, 14: 187–196.PubMedCrossRef

18.

Bullinger M: German translation and psychometric testing of the SF-36 Health Survey: preliminary results from the IQOLA Project. International Quality of Life Assessment. Soc Sci Med 1995, 41: 1359–1366. 10.1016/0277-9536(95)00115-NPubMedCrossRef

19.

Bullinger M: Erfassung der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität mit dem SF-36 Health Survey. [Assessment of health related quality of life with the SF-36 Health Survey]. Rehabilitation (Stuttg) 1996, 35: XVII-XXVII.

20.

Ellert U, Kurth BM: Methodische Betrachtungen zu den Summenscores des SF-36 anhand der erwachsenen bundesdeutschen Bevölkerung. [Methodological views on the SF-36 summary scores based on the adult German population.]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2004, 47: 1027–1032. 10.1007/s00103-004-0933-1PubMedCrossRef

21.

Bouillon B, Kreder HJ, Eypasch E, Holbrook TL, Kreder HJ, Mayou R, Nast-Kolb D, Pirente N, Schelling G, Tiling T, Yates D: Quality of life in patients with multiple injuries--basic issues, assessment, and recommendations. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2002, 20: 125–134.PubMed

22.

Bellach BM, Knopf H, Thefeld W: Der Bundes-Gesundheitssurvey 1997/98. [The German Health Survey. 1997/98]. Gesundheitswesen 1998, 60 Suppl 2: S59-S68.PubMed

23.

Kurth BM, Ellert U: The SF-36 questionnaire and its usefulness in population studies: results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998. Soz Praventivmed 2002, 47: 266–277. 10.1007/BF01326408PubMedCrossRef

24.

Hemingway H, Nicholson A, Stafford M, Roberts R, Marmot M: The impact of socioeconomic status on health functioning as assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire: the Whitehall II Study. Am J Public Health 1997, 87: 1484–1490.PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef

25.

Spies CD, Neuner B, Neumann T, Blum S, Muller C, Rommelspacher H, Rieger A, Sanft C, Specht M, Hannemann L, Striebel HW, Schaffartzik W: Intercurrent complications in chronic alcoholic men admitted to the intensive care unit following trauma. Intensive Care Med 1996, 22: 286–293. [http://PM:8708164]PubMedCrossRef

26.

Platz KP, Mueller AR, Spree E, Schumacher G, Nussler NC, Rayes N, Glanemann M, Bechstein WO, Neuhaus P: Liver transplantation for alcoholic cirrhosis. Transpl Int 2000, 13 Suppl 1: S127-S130. 10.1007/s001470050297PubMedCrossRef

27.

Spies CD, Nordmann A, Brummer G, Marks C, Conrad C, Berger G, Runkel N, Neumann T, Muller C, Rommelspacher H, Specht M, Hannemann L, Striebel HW, Schaffartzik W: Intensive care unit stay is prolonged in chronic alcoholic men following tumor resection of the upper digestive tract. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1996, 40: 649–656.PubMedCrossRef

28.

Woolf SH, Rothemich SF, Johnson RE, Marsland DW: The functional status of inner-city primary care patients. Diminished function in a family practice population and its potential determinants. J Fam Pract 1998, 47: 312–315.PubMed

29.

Deutsche Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen e.V.Geesthacht G: . Jahrbuch Sucht 2005.

30.

Smith RS, Fry WR, Morabito DJ, Organ CHJ: Recidivism in an urban trauma center. Arch Surg 1992, 127: 668–670.PubMedCrossRef

31.

Reiner DS, Pastena JA, Swan KG, Lindenthal JJ, Tischler CD: Trauma recidivism. Am Surg 1990, 56: 556–560.PubMed

32.

Sayfan J, Berlin Y: Previous trauma as a risk factor for recurrent trauma in rural northern Israel. J Trauma 1997, 43: 123–125.PubMedCrossRef

33.

Field CA, O'Keefe G: Behavioral and psychological risk factors for traumatic injury. J Emerg Med 2004, 26: 27–35. 10.1016/j.jemermed.2003.04.004PubMedCrossRef

34.

Neuner B, Miller P, Maulhardt A, E. WG, Neumann T, Lau A, Brahler E, Helmert U, Haas N, Muller JM, Wernecke KD, Spies C: Hazardous alcohol consumption and sense of coherence in emergency department patients with minor trauma. Drug Alcohol Depend 2005, -E-publication ahead of print.

Title: Health-related quality of life in urban surgical emergency department patients: Comparison with a representative German population sample
Authors: Bruno Neuner
Peter M Miller
Bodo Felsmann
Edith Weiss-Gerlach
Tim Neumann
Klaus Dieter Wernecke
Claudia Spies
Publication date: 01-12-2005
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes / Issue 1/2005
Electronic ISSN: 1477-7525
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-3-77

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Health-related quality of life in urban surgical emergency department patients: Comparison with a representative German population sample

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2005

Application of a disease-specific mapping function to estimate utility gains with effective treatment of schizophrenia

Health-related quality of life measurement in pediatric clinical practice: An appraisal and precept for future research and application

A review of the psychometric properties of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) family of measures

Prevalence and burden of self-reported blindness and low vision for individuals living in institutions: a nationwide survey

The European DISABKIDS project: development of seven condition-specific modules to measure health related quality of life in children and adolescents

Do proxies reflect patients' health concerns about urinary incontinence and gait problems?