| Learning Objective #1: Discuss the importance of long-term outcomes for patients who sustained a burn injury | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the merger between the clinical issues presented by staff nurses and the research design and methodology used in this study of burn survivors |
PURPOSE/AIMS: To describe the evolution of funded research that emanated from interdisciplinary discussions/collaborations concerning the lack of follow-up data regarding burn survivors needs after hospital discharge. Nurses were the driving force in creating a prospective, descriptive, repeated measures study investigating the long-term outcomes of burn patients treated at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR). Research questions include: 1) What are the changes in burn patients’ perceptions of quality of life (physical, psychological, interpersonal relationships, and economic status) within 18 months after discharge from the burn center?; 2) What are the relationships between demographic/clinical factors, such as age, burn severity, burn location, and QOL?; and 3) What is the burn-related healthcare utilization for burn survivors after acute treatment in the USAISR? The implementation of this research has already transformed the way outpatient care is delivered for these patients and is providing the foundation for an outcomes-based rehabilitation program currently being developed.
POPULATION/SAMPLE: Eighty-six patients are enrolled in the study. Patients range from 18-73 years of age (M=40 years); 75 patients are male (87%). The ethnic mix of patients is 44% Caucasian (n=38), 40% Hispanic (n=34), 13% African American (n=11), 1% Asian (n=1), and 2% “Other” (n=2). Most patients are married and 47% earn <$20,000/year. This project is unique because of the number of minorities and non-English-speaking patients enrolled.
METHODS: Patients are asked to complete the: 1) Burn Specific Health Scale, 2) Satisfaction with Life Scale, 3) Community Integration Questionnaire, 4) SF-36, and 5) demographic data sheet within 72 hours post-discharge. At subsequent measurements (3, 6, 12 and 18 months) the patients also complete the Rehabilitation Questionnaire and the Vocation and Education Follow-up Questionnaire.
DATA ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and multiple regression will be used to analyze the data.
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