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Transforming the future of trauma care

Research from Day One

We want people who have suffered major trauma to have the chance to influence research and the future of trauma care. Day One is highly respected for its work in this field and works with some key partners to influence the future of care for major trauma patients.

James Lind Alliance

The James Lind Alliance (JLA) is a non-profit making initiative bringing patients, carers and clinicians together in JLA Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs). The JLA PSPs identify and prioritise unanswered questions or evidence uncertainties that they agree are the most important, so that health research funders are aware of the issues that matter most to the people who need to use the research in their everyday lives.

British Orthopaedic Association

Day One has represented the ‘patient voice’ at the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) national trauma committee. We have also been invited to the last two BOA Annual Congresses. CEO Lucy Nickson presented to the BOA annual congress in 2022 on the patient voice and the experience of major trauma patients after surgery. We hope to return to the BOA annual congress in 2023.

Find out more about the BOA

The Collaborative Library

The Collaborative Library is an organisation that aims to link up people who do scientific research and those who are interested in the outcomes to spread the word and drive innovation. The lay summaries of papers on the Collaborative Library website are a fantastic way for patients to engage with scientific research that’s relevant to them. Day One became a partner organisation of The Collaborative Library in February 2023 to help produce lay summaries of research around major trauma.

Find out more and access lay summaries

Doctoral Thesis - Liam Smith, University of Leeds

Research aims

This research primarily aims to explore the experiences of young adults, aged 16-25, who have sustained injuries as a result of major trauma. The research aims are;

  • To explore young adults’ psychological adjustment to acquired injuries following Major Trauma.
  • To understand how young adults adjust to living with their injuries.
  • To inform current post-injury psychological support for young adults following major trauma.

The research team

Liam Smith will lead the current research, supervised by colleagues at the University of Leeds (Dr David Turgoose) and the Leeds Major Trauma Team (Dr Louise Johnson). Liam is a Psychologist in Clinical Training and is conducting this research as his doctoral thesis.

Day One involvement in the research

The charity’s involvement is central to the research, as they are supporting the researchers to design the study and personalise it to empower those with life-changing injuries. The research team believe that working collaboratively with people who have lived experience of major trauma will ensure that the research is relevant for people who have experienced major trauma and is suitably accessible for this population.

This involvement includes;

  • Developing and reviewing participant information sheets and consent forms
  • Developing questions to ask participants in the research
  • Informing the interview procedure to make this as comfortable and accessible as possible for participants
  • Helping to share the findings of the research once completed

The research team are currently running focus groups with volunteers from Day One Trauma Support to achieve these aims and hope to begin the research mid-2024, with completion planned for 2025.

You can help shape the future of trauma care by participating in one of the following studies:

Trainee Clinical Psychologist Olivia Darbyshire from the University of Hull is looking for participants to explore what psychological support would be helpful for people with complex fractures. She is looking for participants who have experienced a complex fracture in the last ten years. If you’d like to participate, get in touch with Olivia at o.p.darbyshire-2021@hull.ac.uk

Ellie Grant, Trainee Clinical Psychologist at Teesside University is conducting a research study that aims to delve into the mechanisms underlying the development of psychological distress following major traumatic injuries. To take part you must be aged 18 or over, have been admitted to a Major Trauma Centre, and have experienced a major traumatic injury in the last 12 months. For any questions or clarifications, don’t hesitate to reach out to Ellie via email at: B1224458@live.tees.ac.uk or visit the website to take part https://b1224458.wixsite.com/majortraumaresearch

Since you’re here…

…we have a small favour to ask.

More people than ever need Day One’s support, but we don’t have the income to keep up with demand.

We’re determined to help people rebuild their lives after a catastrophic injury, wherever they are in the country.

If this page has inspired or moved you, please consider chipping in to help. We can achieve great things with you by our side, so please consider supporting Day One.

You can give as little as £1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

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