• Lidia Aparecida Rossi, Maria Cristina Silva Costa, Rosana Spadoti Dantas, Caroline Lopes Ciofi-Silva, and Livia Mara Lopes.
• University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development, São Paulo, Brazil. rizzardo@eerp.usp.br
• Disabil Rehabil. 2009 Jan 1;31(9):712-9.

PurposeThis study was designed to explore the cultural meaning and dimensions of quality of life from the perspective of Brazilian burn patients.MethodA qualitative research approach was used. Nineteen burn patients and their close relatives participated in this ethnographic study. Data were collected by means of direct observation and semi-structured interviews, conducted in a hospital outpatient clinic and during visits to patients' homes. The following inter-related phases guided the analysis process: reading of the material and data reduction, data display, conclusion outlining and verification.ResultsParticipants reported that the quality of life is related to autonomy and the ability to work. The dimensions of quality of life included: resuming work and functional ability, body image, having leisure and interpersonal relationships. Their descriptions revealed their feelings and attitudes about resuming their previous activities and social lives, particularly concerning the work.ConclusionFor burn patients, quality of life is associated with the concept of normality, the satisfactory performance of social roles in the context of family life and the social world. The results showed the importance of the sociocultural dimension in the concept of quality of life for persons undergoing burn rehabilitation.

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