An exploratory study of road crash survivors: injury outcomes and quality of life

The overall aims of this PhD were to examine what the real effects of injury are on survivors of road crashes and to explore the methods used to assess these effects. Three studies were conducted for this thesis to explore the effects of injury using quality of life outcomes for survivors of road crashes. Study 1 was a prospective follow-up study of 70 road crash survivors with relatively 'minor' injuries. The aim of study 1 was to determine the effects of the crash or injury on quality of life for a 'minor' injury sample over a 1 year follow-up period. Study 2 was a prospective follow-up study of 50 'seriously' injured road crash survivors admitted to hospital as a result of their injuries. Study 3 incorporated the results of study 1 and study 2 to examine the societal burden of injury.