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Instruments to assess function or functionality in adults after a burn injury: A systematic review
Edna Yukimi Itakussu1, Andrea Akemi Morita2, Emely Emi Kakitsuka2
1Stricto Sensu Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, State University of Londrina (UEL) and University Pitágoras Unopar (UNOPAR), Londrina, Brazil; Laboratory of Research in Respiratory Physiotherapy (LFIP), Department of Physiotherapy, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Brazil; Burn Treatment Center, University Hospital of State University of Londrina (HU-UEL), Londrina, Brazil.
Assessing function in adults after burn injury is crucial. This review found many tools lack specific development and measurement property studies, though most show clinical utility.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Burn Injury Management
- Functional Assessment
Background:
- Assessing function is vital for adult burn injury rehabilitation.
- Current literature lacks consensus on optimal assessment tools.
- A synthesis of existing studies on functional assessment in burn survivors is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and report instruments used for assessing function in adult burn survivors.
- To characterize these instruments and evaluate their measurement properties.
- To assess the clinical utility of available functional assessment tools.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across six electronic databases.
- Inclusion of studies assessing upper/lower limb function in adult burn survivors.
- Exclusion of pediatric studies and conference abstracts.
Main Results:
- Thirty-four studies yielded 19 instruments (12 questionnaires, 7 objective tests).
- Three specific tools and four generic instruments were validated for burn populations.
- Nine studies evaluated measurement properties (fair quality); 18 instruments showed clinical utility.
Conclusions:
- Most functional assessment tools for adult burn survivors are not population-specific.
- Measurement properties of these instruments are often poorly studied.
- Despite limitations, most identified instruments demonstrate clinical utility in practice.
