Abstract
Background: Annually, hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide suffer either life- or non-life-threatening traumatic injuries requiring medical treatment. These individuals not only sustain physical injuries, but also emotional and psychological injuries which are commonly overlooked during their ongoing medical treatment.|Purpose: The focus of this project was to introduce and implement a screening protocol for post-traumatic stress disorder for adult patients undergoing post- hospitalization trauma management.|Methods: The appropriate population included patients 19 years of age and older who were seeking follow-up treatment for injuries sustained during a traumatic event within the Trauma clinic. Then, the identified patients were handed a questionnaire with the PC-PTSD screening tool for them to complete prior to their examination. The analysis and discussion of the screening results by medical providers revealed the possible risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and identified if further evaluation and treatment were warranted.|Results: After the introduction, education, and implementation of the quality improvement project, a post-intervention focus group and survey demonstrated that a hundred percent of the medical providers and staff acknowledged that PTSD screening for post-hospitalized trauma patients was useful, effective, and efficient. During the project timeframe, sixty-six patients consented to participate within the project and completed the PC-PTSD screening, and thirteen of those patients screened positive for possible PTSD symptoms.|Clinical Implication: Post-traumatic stress disorder can affect the healing process and decrease a patient’s quality of life. Identifying even one post- hospitalized trauma patient who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder leads to a positive patient experience and improved outcomes.