• Inge Spronk, Suzanne Polinder, van Loey Nancy E E NEE Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Department Behavioural Research, Beverwijk, The Netherlands; Utrecht University, Department Clinical Psychology,, Cornelis H van der Vlies, Anouk Pijpe, Juanita A Haagsma, and van Baar Margriet E ME Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Public Health, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Maasst.
• Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Public Health, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Maasstad Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: i.spronk@erasmusmc.nl.
• Burns. 2019 Sep 1; 45 (6): 1291-1299.

IntroductionBurn injury can affect health-related quality of life (HRQL). Knowledge concerning long-term HRQL in burn patients is limited. Therefore our aim was to evaluate long-term HRQL and to study predictors of impaired long-term HRQL.MethodsAll adults with a length of stay (LOS) of ≥1 day (2011-2012) were invited. Also, adults with severe burns, i.e., >20% total body surface area (TBSA) burned or TBSA full thickness>5% (2010-2013) were invited. Participants completed the EuroQol(EQ)-5 D-5L + C and visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) 5-7 years after burns.ResultsThis study included 256 patients (mean %TBSA 10%); 187 patients with minor burns and 69 patients with severe burns. Mean EQ-5D summary was 0.90 and EQ-VAS 83.2 in the minor burn patients, and 0.79 and 78.1 in the severe burn patients. Some problems in at least one dimension were experienced by 81% of patients with severe burns and 45% of those with minor burns. However, a minority reported severe or extreme problems; 15% of those with severe burns and 6% of those with minor burns. Patients with severe burns reported significantly more problems, except for anxiety/depression. In both patient groups most problems were reported on pain/discomfort. Length of hospital stay, gender and age were associated with lower long-term HRQL (EQ-VAS) in multivariate analyses, whereas only length of stay was associated with a lower summary score.ConclusionsThe majority of patients experienced some problems with HRQL 5-7 years post burn. This emphasizes that burns can have a negative impact on an individual's HRQL, particularly in more severely burned patients, that persists for years. The HRQL dimensions most frequently affected include pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Patients with a prolonged hospital stay, females and older patients are at higher risk of poor HRQL in the long-term.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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