Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Ethnic minorities experience disparities in prevention and treatment of burn injury. Research focused on burn injuries in Indigenous populations is limited. This review summarizes literature on burn injuries in Indigenous populations to be considered to inform new research. ⋯ Racial disparities exist in burn injury incidence and outcome for Indigenous persons. Qualitative research in this area will help providers better understand the experiences of Indigenous burn patients to develop more culturally competent care. We are currently developing a study using qualitative hermeneutic methodology to learn about the experiences of Indigenous burn survivors' injuries, recovery, and social reintegration.
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Burn injuries pose a significant burden on both patients and healthcare systems. Yet, costs arising from the consumption of resources by these patients are rarely examined in Canada. ⋯ Findings reveal that the total cost of the initial hospitalization, from a public hospital perspective, was $11,714,348. Our study underlines the substantial burden associated with burns and highlights the need for long-term cost evaluations.
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Multicenter Study
Gender differences in relation to stigmatization and depressive symptoms after burns.
The aim of this study was to investigate the moderating role of gender in the relationship between burn severity, perceived stigmatization and depressive symptoms at multiple time points postburn. ⋯ Number of operations had a different effect on psychosocial adaptation of male and female burn survivors. In women, a persistent direct link from number of operations to both depressive symptoms and perceived stigmatization was found over time. In men, the effect of number of operations was most evident in the short-term, after which perceived stigmatization and depressive symptoms became interrelated. This indicates that burn severity remains a factor of significance in psychological adjustment in women, whereas in men, this significance seems to decrease over time.
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Trauma-informed care practices are associated with a culture of safety following traumatic experiences, including medical trauma. An interactive, web-based training package ('Responsive CARE') was developed for voluntary uptake by paediatric burns health professionals to increase staff knowledge about trauma-informed practice. This paper reports on a mixed methods process evaluation conducted alongside a preliminary effectiveness study of 'Responsive CARE'. ⋯ We found no significant difference for pain, distress and per-patient hospital care costs between groups (pre- and post-intervention). Future implementation strategies should include organizational support to keep a trauma-informed lens and to incorporate trauma-informed principles within a medical model of care. Despite efforts to co-design a staff education intervention and implementation approach focused on stakeholder engagement, adaptations are indicated to both the intervention and implementation strategies to promote uptake highlighting the complexity of changing clinician behaviours.
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Burn patients in rural areas may encounter poorer outcomes associated with barriers to care; however, residence has not been studied in a large sample. The association between rural-versus-urban residence and outcomes after burn was examined using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. ⋯ Burn encounters from less urbanized counties did not experience differences in mortality, rates of skin grafting, prolonged mechanical ventilation, length of stay, or overall costs. However, odds of shock were higher among the least urbanized counties. Despite improved triage and transportation systems across the US, disparities and challenges exist for burn patients from rural residence.