Return to work as a measure of outcome in adults hospitalized for acute burn treatment

Rehabilitation of patients with burn injuries is receiving renewed interest because survival has improved, and health reform has mandated outcomes assessment. To determine factors affecting return to work, a survey was conducted among 234 employed patients treated from 1986 through 1993. The mean burn size was 13.3% total body surface area. Patients returned to work in a mean of 14.3 weeks; a number initially returned to light-duty or part-time jobs as a "bridge" to full-time employment. Length of hospitalization, number of surgeries, total and full-thickness burn size, and subjective assessments by patients of their functional ability correlated with time off work. Patients with health insurance were more likely to resume work than was expected, whereas those covered by Medicaid and those involved in injury-related lawsuits were less likely to return to work. It is hoped that this information can be used to design interventions aimed at improving this outcome of burn treatment.