Burn survivors' perceptions of rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND

The perspectives of burn survivors offer a powerful tool in assessing the efficacy of burn therapy interventions and methods. Despite this potential wealth of data, comprehensive analysis of burn survivor feedback remains largely uninvestigated and underdocumented. The aim of this study was to evaluate specific burn therapy interventions based on the opinions of a sample of the burn community.

METHODS

The survey was distributed to a convenience sample drawn from burn survivors attending the Phoenix Society's 21st Annual World Burn Congress in New York City, New York. Items of inquiry focused on therapeutic intervention and reintegration. The 164 surveys (a 44% response rate) returned included burn survivors from a variety of demographic segments and with burn injuries of disparate size, location, and severity. Interventions of interest included splinting and positioning, pressure garments, therapeutic exercise, group therapy, and nontraditional therapy. Respondents also rated the contribution of acute burn rehabilitation toward reintegration into familial, societal, and professional roles.

RESULTS

The vast majority of respondents felt that the rehabilitative interventions they experienced positively affected their long-term physical and psychosocial outcomes. In the areas of improving movement and scarring and expediting reintegration and usefulness, the majority of applicable interventions generated "strongly agree" or "agree" as the most popular responses.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support the efficacy of many practices employed by burn rehabilitation specialists and offer a glimpse into the inherent benefits found in assessment of burn survivors' perspectives.