Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burn survivors report limited resources as they transition to their communities after initial hospitalization. The aim of this project is to review literature that identifies resources provided to burn survivors and their supporters after discharge to their communities. ⋯ This review uses a conceptual framework to provide an overview of current published resources to support burn survivors following hospitalization. The identified resources addressed content such as health professionals, programs, psychological functioning after burn injury, scar management, and virtual resources. Based on the ICF framework, some gaps in resource content were noted such as pain, thermoregulation, interpersonal relationships, and self-care. Findings reveal relative strengths and gaps in resources, which can be used to better support burn survivors following hospitalization.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Wireless Micro Current Stimulation (WMCS) therapy to enhance burn wound healing: A randomized clinical trial.
Pediatric burn injuries are often associated with significant morbidity, and require specialized care. The primary advantage of Wireless Micro Current Stimulation (WMCS) is the ability to deliver electric current without direct contact with the wound, which is particularly advantageous in the pediatric population and in those with wounds over multiple areas or over sensitive regions. ⋯ Our study shows statistically significant improvement in healing time with WMCS therapy, despite a two times higher average TBSA% in the WMCS group.
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Collecting patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) has been a longstanding priority for the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand (BRANZ). An earlier pilot of hospital-led PROM collection encountered low participation rates and high loss to follow-up, indicating consideration for an alternative model was warranted. ⋯ Collecting PROMs from burns patients in the first 12 months after injury via a centralised approach was shown to be feasible, with higher participation rates and low missingness.
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Access to healthcare and insurance coverage are associated with quality of life, morbidity, and mortality outcomes. However, most studies have only focused on same-admission and short-term outcomes due to the lack of national longitudinal datalthere are limited data on this topic in the burn literature. Our aim was to determine the effect of insurance status on long-term outcomes in a national sample of burn patients. ⋯ Having Medicaid and Medicare insurance was significantly associated with a lower health-related quality of life at long-term follow up, even after adjusting for demographics and burn injury severity.
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Ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser (AFCO2L) is widely used as a treatment for hypertrophic burn scars. This study aimed to evaluate clinician and patient-reported outcomes after AFCO2L treatment, safety, and identify factors influencing outcomes. ⋯ This study supports safety and improved clinician and patient-reported outcomes in patients undergoing AFCO2L for hypertrophic burn scars.