PTSD - how well do you cope ?

An issue that arises when designing rehabilitation products is that 2 people can react totally differently to the same trauma. But why is this?

A person’s recovery and how they deal with things is affected by a factor called ‘Adjustment’. This is basically how well a person can cope with a situation. Many would think that this would directly relate to the severity of a person’s injury or level of PTSD however this is not true. A person can have a high level of PTSD but a low level adjustment.

A patients recovery rates can be influenced by their personality traits. For example if they are prone to giving up or quitting on things then their recovery is more likely to be slower because their way of thinking will be reflected in their approach and feelings to rehabilitation exercises etc .

There can also be the association of how the injury impacts a person’s life. For example a professional golfer who broke his thumb may be absolutely devastated due to the consequences of this injury as it could result in him not being able to play and so not only does he loose his lively hood but also his favourite hobby.

As a result of all these variable factors how successful a person’s rehabilitation is can be partly dependant on the individual. With this in mind it is even more important that a patient is met with good, efficient and effective design to ensure they have as much of a possible experience as possible. If the patient has a positive experience they are more likely to want to keep using the equipment/products and so should make a better recovery