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Rehabilitation of adult electrical injury survivors: A scoping review
Susan Zahir1, Sander Hitzig2, Sarah Munce3
1St. John's Rehab Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 285 Cummer Avenue, Room B114, Toronto, Ontario M2M 2G1, Canada; Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Ave #160, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1V7, Canada.
Background:
Electrical injuries (EIs) result in severe damage to multiple body systems and pose significant challenges for recovery, often leading to prolonged hospital stays, delayed return to work, and higher rates of mental health issues. While EI survivors face unique physical, neurological, and psychological challenges distinct from other burn injury survivors, there is a lack of research on rehabilitation specific to this population.
Objective:
The purpose of this scoping review is to synthesize the available literature on what rehabilitation interventions entail for EI survivors and examine how the evidence base has evolved over time.
Methods:
This scoping review followed the methodology outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Studies were identified through PsycINFO, OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, Healthstar, AMED, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL, including CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Included articles must have focused on adult EI survivors who received rehabilitation. Year of publication, country of study, type of rehabilitation intervention, rehabilitation professionals involved, place of rehabilitation, duration and frequency of rehabilitation, outcome measures, and findings were extracted.
Results:
53 studies were included in this review. Our scoping review mapped the literature on rehabilitation for EI survivors, highlighting a predominant focus on physical interventions, with some recent attention to psychological and social outcomes. Most studies were case reports, showing inconsistencies in intervention characteristics and outcome reporting.
Conclusion:
The review emphasizes the need for comprehensive, multidisciplinary approaches, standardized reporting guidelines, and future research, including RCTs, to improve rehabilitation and inform clinical practice guidelines for EI survivors. By identifying gaps in knowledge and offering recommendations for future research, our review serves as a roadmap for advancing the care and treatment of EI survivors.
