Affordable, Tailored Therapy for Financially Vulnerable People With Trauma-related Injuries (AFTER-TRAUMA)

September 9, 2026 updated by: Radboud University Medical Center

What Are the Needs of Financially Vulnerable People With Trauma-related Injuries Related to Physical Therapy Treatment (AFTER-TRAUMA): a Qualitative, Grounded Theory Study

Financially vulnerable people experience higher rates of trauma-related injuries and often face barriers to accessing physical therapy services. Current rehabilitation services may not sufficiently align with the circumstances and needs of this population. This qualitative study aims to develop a conceptual understanding of the needs of financially vulnerable adults with trauma-related injuries regarding physical therapy treatment. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, data will be collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and supplementary qualitative materials. Findings will support the development of more accessible, tailored, and person-centered physical therapy services.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

Trauma-related injuries can have substantial long-term consequences for functioning, participation, and quality of life. Financial vulnerability is associated with both an increased risk of traumatic injury and poorer recovery outcomes. Financially vulnerable patients may experience barriers in accessing physical therapy, obtaining assistive devices, arranging transportation, or prioritizing rehabilitation alongside competing financial demands.

Despite the recognized importance of physical therapy in trauma rehabilitation, little is known about the specific needs of financially vulnerable individuals. This study aims to develop a conceptual understanding of these needs using constructivist grounded theory methodology. Data will be collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and supplementary qualitative sources such as documents, photographs, videos, and social media content provided voluntarily by participants.

Participants will be adults with trauma-related injuries and self-reported financial concerns living in the Netherlands. Recruitment will follow purposive, snowball, and theoretical sampling principles. Data collection and analysis will proceed iteratively until theoretical saturation is achieved. Findings are expected to contribute to more accessible and tailored physical therapy services for financially vulnerable trauma survivors.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

17

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Niek Koenders, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of adults aged 18 years or older with severe trauma-related injuries (ISS ≥16) who live in financial vulnerability in the Netherlands. Eligible participants experienced their injury between 3 months and 2 years before study participation and report financial concerns. Maximum variation sampling will be used to ensure diversity in age, sex, educational level, geographic region, rehabilitation pathway, and experiences with physical therapy. Recruitment will follow purposive, snowball, and theoretical sampling principles consistent with constructivist grounded theory methodology.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years or older
  • Trauma-related injury with Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥16
  • Injury occurred between 3 months and 2 years prior to participation
  • Self-reported financial concerns
  • Living in the Netherlands
  • Able and willing to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to understand or speak Dutch
  • Cognitive impairment preventing participation in interviews
  • Severe mental health conditions preventing meaningful participation
  • Life expectancy less than 3 months

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Financially vulnerable people with trauma-related injuries
Adults aged 18 years and older with trauma-related injuries (ISS ≥16) and self-reported financial concerns living in the Netherlands. Participants may have received physical therapy or may not have received physical therapy after injury. Data collection includes interviews and observations.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Needs Regarding Physical Therapy Treatment
Time Frame: Single study interview and observation period (October 2026 to June 2027)
Conceptual understanding of the needs of financially vulnerable people with trauma-related injuries regarding physical therapy treatment, identified through qualitative interviews, participant observations, documents, footage, and social media content analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methods.
Single study interview and observation period (October 2026 to June 2027)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Radboud University Medical Center

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Niek Koenders, PhD, Radboud University Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 9, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NL2026-19368
  • WCF CALL 2024-2025 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Wetenschappelijk College Fysiotherapie (KNGF))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual qualitative data contain potentially identifiable and sensitive participant information. De-identified datasets will not be made publicly available to protect participant confidentiality.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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