A Qualitative Exploration of Post‐Injury Challenges and the Potential Role of the PTSD Coach Mobile Application to Improve Recovery Among Acutely Injured Patients
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Digital interventions designed to prevent development of chronic pain and comorbid mental health symptoms, specifically targeting the acute injury recovery period, are in the early stages of development. The evidence-based PTSD Coach mobile application is a free resource offering cognitive-behavioral interventions to self-manage posttraumatic symptoms; it is used widely in varied populations, and it is feasible and acceptable to injured Emergency Department patients. However, patients' subjective experience and feedback regarding optimizing the app are lacking. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study in which we recruited and interviewed 18 acutely injured adult patients (5 men; 13 women) at-risk for persistent pain and psychological problems. Participants were instructed to use PTSD Coach for at least 1 week; during the interview, participants discussed post-injury needs and challenges, their experience with the app, and general perceptions of its suitability to address post-injury distress. RESULTS: Favorable feedback centered on the variety of user-friendly tools to help manage symptoms, ability to increase awareness of symptoms and identify and cope with distressing reminders of the trauma, and on facilitating openness and linking to resources for mental health treatment. Suggestions for improvement included: increased personalization through app onboarding, text messages and other notifications to prompt use, having voice-overs to read content to participants, and linkages to in-person mental healthcare if needed. CONCLUSION: These findings support PTSD Coach as a potential self-management tool to prevent the chronicity of maladaptive psychological reactions to injury and highlight features that may improve its utility for this unique underserved population.
Source: Journal of Clinical Psychology
DOI: 10.1002/jclp.70085
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,710
Awards: An in-depth Examination of the Psychological Processes involved in the Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain after a Traumatic Musculoskeletal Injury, Training in the Science of Co-Occurring Disorders, Identifying Modifiable Momentary Predictors of Substance Use in High Risk Emergency Medical Services Clinicians
OpenAlex ID: W7119143392