Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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The aim of this study was to translate, culturally adapt and validate the Satisfaction with Appearance Scale (SWAP) into Turkish to be used in the context of pediatric burn care. ⋯ SWAP-TR is a reliable and valid instrument for use in a Turkish speaking children with burns. It is recommended to study the validity of this scale in other age groups with burns in Turkey.
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Individual-level socioeconomic disparities impact burn-related incidence, severity and outcomes. However, the impact of community-level socioeconomic disparities on recovery after burn injury is poorly understood. As a result, we are not yet able to develop individual- and community-specific strategies to optimize recovery. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the association between community-level socioeconomic disparities and long-term, health-related quality of life after burn injury. ⋯ Community distress is associated with lower PCS at 6 months after burn injury but no association with MCS was identified. Pre-injury HRQOL is associated with both PCS and MCS after injury. Further study of the factors underlying the relationship between community distress and physical functional recovery (e.g., access to rehabilitation services, availability of adaptations) is required to identify potential interventions.
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The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which began in 2020, has had a major impact on healthcare systems. The spread of COVID-19 has been reported to have affected the readiness to treat patients with burns worldwide. However, the existing reports have evaluated burn care status within a limited time period during the pandemic, and no report clarifies the change in the impact of infection status on burn care from the beginning of the pandemic to the present. ⋯ The number of facilities treating patients with burns who have COVID-19 is increasing; however, COVID-19 care may negatively impact routine burn care. It is necessary to continuously examine medical resource allocation through methods such as information sharing by academic societies.
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Modern burn care is centralised, and studies show that early, prompt referral to dedicated burn services improve clinical outcomes. We describe the use of a novel clinical instrument, the burn injury Transfer Feedback Form, to support and educate referring clinicians about the early assessment and management of burn injuries. Since 2005, Transfer Feedback Forms have been completed for all burn-injured patients with inter-hospital transfer to a specialised burn unit in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The aim of this study was to review physiological, procedural, and system or process issues in the care of both adult and paediatric burn-injured patients needing retrieval and transfer in NSW as identified by the Transfer Feedback Form. Secondary objectives were to determine any significant differences in these parameters between metropolitan and regional or remote referring institutions, and if any improvements occurred in these parameters over time. ⋯ Our analysis indicates that the early care of burn-injured patients undergoing inter-hospital transfer is associated with clinical, technical, and logistical challenges. However, introduction of the burn injury Transfer Feedback Form has been associated with improvements in early burn care by referring centres both temporally and geographically. Smartphone-based applications such as the NSW Trauma App have also probably contributed to these findings. Adopting these simple, inexpensive strategies into burn care systems will augment inter-hospital transfer of burn-injured patients, and improve clinical outcomes.