Quality of Life after Motorcycle Traffic Injuries: A Cohort Study in Northwest of Iran

To investigate the quality of life (QOL) of injured motorcyclists and associated factors in a period of three months after the accident.

In the present study, we were included 190 injured motorcyclists who admitted to two referral specialized hospitals (Emam Reza and Shohada) in Tabriz, between June 2018 and January 2019. All injured motorcyclists were contacted through the telephone one and 171 of them (90%) three months after their accident to complete an EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. The baseline measurements were gathered by using face to face interviews in the hospitals. The QOL score could vary between 1 and 3. The higher score showed a lower QOL.

The injured motorcyclist’s QOL score was relatively better in three months after the accident (mean±Standard Deviation (SD): 1.78±0.51) in comparison with their status a month after the accident (2.15±0.65) (p <0.001). The multivariable model showed that individuals with pelvis injuries (Coef: 0.29, (95% CI: 0.16, 0.42), p=0.001) and knee injuries (Coef: 0.26, (95% CI: 0.10, 0.42), p=0.001), experienced a higher QOL score. Also, those whose accident had happened in rainy weather experienced higher QOL score (Coef: 0.33, (95% CI: 0.12, 0.53), p=0.001). The patients who were in an accident with a vehicle were experienced a better QOL than others (Coef: -0.26, (95% CI: -0.43, -0.09), p=0.002).

The assessment of three-months post-accident showed that the QOL score of the motorcyclists was reduced. It is recommended that the QOL of patients should be improved in hospital discharge victims.