Dr. Ben Zarzaur, Chair of the Division of Acute Care and Regional General Surgery, recently had his manuscript, “Collaborative Care for Injured Older Adults: The Trauma Medical Home Randomized Clinical Trial,” published in JAMA Surgery. Dr. Zarzaur and his research partner at Indiana University, Dr. Malaz Boustani, examined whether a novel collaborative care intervention improved long-term outcomes in injured patients 50 years and older.
Dr. Zarzaur’s research interests are focused on long-term, patient centered outcomes who have suffered injury or an acute surgical illness.
In this study, Drs. Zarzaur and Boustani sought to determine if a collaborative care intervention improved the biopsychosocial function of older patients in the year after their injury. This randomized clinical trial was conducted in Indianapolis and Madison, Wis., and analyzed a total of 429 patients. Their findings suggest that this intervention did not significantly influence the quality of life, depressive and anxiety symptoms, or physical function of older adults with injury at 12 months. However, Drs. Zarzaur and Boustani’s research suggests that collaborative care interventions may improve long-term outcomes of select patients, such as those who exhibit symptoms of anxiety or depression at the time of admission, but further research is needed.
JAMA Surgery is a part of JAMA Network, a network of 13 peer-reviewed journals, 11 of which are specialty journals. This network of peer-reviewed journals is an authoritative source for cutting-edge research, informative review, and thought-provoking opinion across medical specialties. These journals offer enhanced access to the research, reviews and perspectives shaping medicine today and into the future.