Satisfaction with life after burn: A Burn Model System National Database Study.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Psychosocial Health
• Burn Injury Research

Background:

• Major burn injuries often lead to long-term physical and psychosocial challenges.
• Optimizing quality of life is a key focus in burn survivor care.
• Understanding life satisfaction is crucial for patient-centered recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine self-reported life satisfaction in a large cohort of burn survivors.
• To identify risk factors associated with life satisfaction scores.
• To compare burn survivor satisfaction with life to non-burn populations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the Burn Model System (BMS) database (1994-2014).
• Inclusion of burn survivors aged 9+ years.
• Assessment of Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) scores at discharge, 6, 12, and 24 months post-burn.
• Step-wise regression to identify predictors of SWLS scores.

Main Results:

• Mean SWLS scores for burn survivors remained consistently lower than non-burn norms across all time points.
• No significant improvement in mean SWLS scores was observed over the 24-month follow-up period.
• Factors such as gender, TBSA burned, LOS, school status, amputation, and drug abuse were associated with SWLS scores at various intervals.

Conclusions:

• Burn survivors exhibit persistently lower life satisfaction compared to the general population.
• Long-term follow-up reveals no significant improvement in life satisfaction post-burn.
• There is a clear need for enhanced strategies to improve long-term patient-centered outcomes and life satisfaction for burn survivors.