What is trauma? Qualitatively assessing stakeholder perceptions in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

ABSTRACT

Addressing the burden of injury in low-resource settings requires development of trauma systems. This study aimed to describe perceptions of trauma in Santa Cruz, Bolivia to better inform strategies for trauma system development. In 2015–2016, we conducted 16 individual and 11 group interviews with key stakeholders involved with or exposed to trauma. A pile sorting activity showed participants pictures of injury mechanisms to explore perceptions of trauma. Responses were analysed for themes using content and discourse analysis. Among 27 interviews, six were with physicians, seven with first responders, three with community members, and 11 with trauma patients. Pictures commonly categorised as trauma depicted a road traffic incident (92.6%), fall (88.9%), gunshot wound (88.9%), and burn (85.2%). Fewer respondents stated intoxication (51.9%) or drowning (40.7%) were trauma. Coding of responses revealed five themes: trauma definition, mechanism, physical injury, management, and psychological trauma. Medical personnel focused more on trauma as mechanism, physical injury, and management, whereas laypersons commonly described trauma as psychological. Varied understanding of what represents trauma could influence trauma registry data collection. Laypersons’ focus on psychological trauma may affect use of designated trauma care hospitals. These viewpoints must be considered when designing policies and interventions for trauma system strengthening.

KEYWORDS:

• trauma
• qualitative
• Bolivia
• language
• meaning

Acknowledgements

This study would not have been possible without our numerous local Bolivian collaborators, including the following physicians from HPTM, HSJD, and HJ: Dr. Pablo Mercado, Dr. Eve Kundmuller, Dr. German Toledo, Dr. Jose Carlos Camacho, Dr. Mauricio Dorn, and Dr. Ibeth Montoya. Additionally, we would like to thank the first responders, community members, and trauma patients for their time and thoughts, and for their continued belief in the value and possibility of an integrated trauma system in Bolivia. Lastly, we would like to thank David E. Victorson, PhD and Eric J. Keller, MD for their guidance though our qualitative analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine under the Post-Graduate Fellowship in Global Health grant; and the Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Harvard Medical School under the Arthur Tracy Cabot Fellowship grant. No funding entity was directly involved in the conduct of this study.