What Outcomes Matter Most to Paediatric Burn Patients and Their Caregivers: A Comparison of Short-Term and Long-Term...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Burn Care
• Outcome Prioritization
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research

Background:

• Effective pediatric burn care requires identifying patient-important outcomes.
• Understanding these priorities is crucial for developing specialized care pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and rank the most important short-term and long-term outcomes for pediatric burn patients from the perspective of parents and adolescents.
• To inform the development of consumer-centric, high-value care pathways in pediatric burn management.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to parents of children (0-11 years) and adolescents (12-17 years) to ascertain outcome priorities post-burn.
• Outcomes were ranked based on the percentage of participants scoring them as 'very important' in the short-term (<6 months) and long-term (6-24 months).
• Fifty-four participants completed the survey, with a response rate of 27%.

Main Results:

• Short-term priorities for all age groups included 'good wound healing' and 'no wound infection'.
• 'Not having pain' was paramount for younger children (≤11 years), while 'walking or moving around' was key for older children.
• Long-term priorities showed variation, but 'not having pain' and 'flexibility of scar(s)' were consistently important across all groups.

Conclusions:

• Patient and parent-derived outcome priorities are essential for creating individualized, family-centered care plans.
• These identified priorities serve as a foundation for discussing treatment options and recovery goals in pediatric burn care.
• Focusing on these high-value outcomes can guide the development of specialized and effective care pathways.