Factors Impacting Delayed Return to School Among Children Living with Burn Injury: A Burn Model System Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Burn Injury Outcomes
• Childhood Health

Background:

• Return to school (RTS) is a crucial milestone for pediatric burn survivors, indicating successful rehabilitation.
• Previous research on RTS timing is limited by single-center studies and small sample sizes, hindering comprehensive understanding of influencing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify individual and injury-specific factors affecting the time to RTS in school-age children with burn injuries.
• To provide data for guiding rehabilitation, benchmarking RTS timelines, and allocating resources effectively.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, longitudinal cohort study analyzed data from 266 US school-age children (5-17 years) requiring surgery for burn wound closure.
• Data on days from hospital discharge to RTS were collected via parent/guardian surveys.
• Multivariable mixed-effects Poisson regression examined associations between RTS and factors like age, sex, burn size, injury region, inhalation injury, operations, and discharge timing.

Main Results:

• The median time to RTS was 43 days post-discharge.
• Factors significantly associated with longer RTS included: ages 12-14 years, male sex, fire/flame injury, ≥ 5% TBSA, inhalation injury, head/neck injury, multiple operations, and discharge during school months.

Conclusions:

• Several demographic and clinical factors significantly impact RTS for pediatric burn survivors.
• Findings highlight the need for tailored support and resource allocation to address the diverse needs of children recovering from burn injuries.