Volume 56, Issue 12, December 2025, 112800Author links open overlay panel, , , AbstractPurpose

The disability and rehabilitation challenges resulting from severe upper extremity trauma impose significant burdens on individuals, families, and society, profoundly impacting patients’ quality of life. This study aims to elucidate the information needs of patients undergoing limb salvage following severe upper extremity trauma through qualitative interviews, providing a foundation for the development of intervention strategies and mobile information support solutions.

Methods

Data were collected using a semi-structured interview framework based on Roy’s Adaptation Model. Twenty-three patients who underwent limb salvage for severe upper extremity trauma were recruited. The interview transcripts were analyzed through a phenomenological approach.

Results

The analysis, informed by the accessibility of medical knowledge, identified three themes and 9 subthemes: (1) Information needs for surgical option selection; (2) Information needs for rehabilitation nursing; (3) Psychosocial support needs.

Conclusion

Healthcare providers must pay attention to patients’ post-operative information needs, recognize the importance of multi-domain information support, and provide tailored information solutions and interventions to enhance patients’ well-being, facilitate post-traumatic growth, and restore social function.

Introduction

Trauma-related mortality has emerged as the predominant cause of death among individuals aged 1 to 44 years. This represents a significant global public health challenge, with associated limb disabilities placing a substantial burden on society and families [1]. The four key components of the upper limbs are bones, soft tissues (including skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments), blood vessels, and nerves. Severe upper limb trauma refers to the situation where three or more elements of the four components are damaged [2]. These injuries are characterized by significant hemorrhage, high infection rates, and a high incidence of disability, posing a potential threat to life [3]. The upper extremity has both functional and expressive roles. Therefore, even partial impairment of upper limb function can greatly affect a patient's physical and psychological well-being [[4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]].Studies demonstrated that providing high-quality information support might augment patients’ perceived benefits of treatment, offer social support, facilitate post-traumatic growth, and build social capabilities [11]. This qualitative study seeks to explore the information needs of this patient population in China.

Section snippetsStudy design

This study employs a descriptive qualitative research approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews based on Roy's Adaptation Model.

Participants

This study employed purposive sampling. Subjects were selected according to specified inclusion and exclusion criteria from patients who underwent limb salvage for severe upper extremity trauma at a tertiary, grade A orthopedic specialist hospital in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, between July and September 2022. Inclusion criteria: (1) Diagnosis

Characteristics of the participants

All 23 participants completed the interviews, and their characteristics are in Table 2.

Themes

The analysis generated four themes and 10 subthemes. Considering the accessibility of healthcare services within the medical industry, the research team decided to exclude Theme Four: Economic Pressure Needs. The findings, derived from three themes and 9 subthemes, provide a framework for the subsequent development of an informational support plan. These themes encompass concerns regarding limb disuse

Key findings and implications

This qualitative study, grounded in Roy’s Adaptation Model, investigated the information needs framework of patients undergoing limb salvage following severe upper extremity trauma. The research methodology was rigorously implemented, and participant engagement was high. The subjects in this study demonstrated cooperation throughout the entire process. This can be attributed to three key factors: First, patients with severe upper extremity trauma are often employed in traditional manufacturing

Limitations

This study is subject to certain limitations. The study excluded research subjects who failed limb salvage. Their perspectives are essential for a comprehensive discussion of surgical plans and post-recovery survival quality. Furthermore, the saturation of the sample size in this study indicates a relative saturation, which may not fully represent the entire patient population. Future research should focus on further refining the identified information needs, with the aim of establishing a

Conclusions

This study, guided by Roy’s Adaptation Model, employed a qualitative research methodology to elucidate the information needs of patients undergoing limb salvage following severe upper extremity trauma. The findings revealed three primary thematic areas: information needs for surgical option selection, information needs for rehabilitation nursing, and psychosocial support needs. These themes establish a theoretical framework for developing subsequent information support interventions. The

Ethical consideration

This study received ethical approval from the Wuxi 9th People’s Hospital institutional review board(Approval Number: KS2023049). IRB approval was granted on May 22, 2022.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Yunwen Jiang: Writing – original draft, Validation, Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation. Lu Lin: Writing – review & editing, Project administration, Supervision, Methodology. Lan Mo: Resources, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition. Yongjun Rui: Visualization, Software, Resources, Funding acquisition.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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