Answered Questions is a monthly resource for the Spanish language Disability Community that fills an information need. This month’s question is: A family member has experienced a burn injury and is now in a rehabilitation center. What can they expect after they come home? This edition of Answered Questions includes items that discuss NIDILRR-funded Burn Injury Model Systems and their research into life after burn injury; interventions to return to work; community reintegration after burn injury; organizations that provide information on topics related to life after a burn injury, that provide support, information, and advocacy, and organizations that provide factsheets that include data from around the world; discuss children returning to school; returning to work after an injury; discuss helping your child recover; healthy eating for children after a burn injury; health, wellbeing, and other issues related to life after a burn injury; and social interactions after burn injury. More about Answered Questions.
NIDILRR Projects:
The Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System (English) (90DP0035) provides a multidisciplinary comprehensive system of care for individuals with burn injury. This system of care begins with preventive programs and emergency services and continues to community reintegration and vocational rehabilitation. This model system also fosters burn injury rehabilitation research. It includes a site-specific project to treat pain, itch, and psychological disabilities in burn injury. This Model System is currently looking for burn injury survivors to participate in the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Project pilot study (English) to help measure the social impact of a burn injury.
The researchers at Northwest Regional Burn Model System Center (NWRBMS) (English) (90DP0029) are conducting research on topics that are a high priority for people with burn injury such as employment, rehabilitation, post-burn itching, and depression. It also provides research-based education and training to professionals and consumers. NWRBMS provides publications of peer-reviewed research authored by NRBMSC investigators, patient and family resources (English), and employment resource materials in English and Spanish. The NWRBMS is currently looking for burn survivors to participate in a needs survey (English) to help investigators learn more about the impact of burn injury on recovery and survivors’ ability to return to work or school.
The North Texas Burn Rehabilitation Model System (NTBRMS) (English) (90DP0042) provides comprehensive, multi-disciplinary services to children and adults who sustain major burn injuries. Currently, researchers at NTBRMS are studying the effect of heat intolerance on exercise and physical function and are evaluating a web-based social skills training program for burn survivors. They are also working on a collaborative research module titled, “Burn model system five and ten year long-term follow-up of a national sample of major burn injuries.”
Research:
An intervention bundle to facilitate return to work for burn-injured workers: Report from a burn model system investigation (English) (J75430) describes a study that evaluated the work-related outcomes of interventions aimed at returning workers with burn injuries to employment within 90 days of their insurance claims. The interventions in this study include patient/family education that is focused on recovery instead of disability, employer contact and education by the vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselor, physician recommendations for work accommodations, provision of employee status letters, and Activity Prescription Forms (APFs). The authors postulate that the combination of employer/employee/insurer engagement and flexibility contributed to the success of this intervention program.
Community reintegration (English) (J75953) summarizes the breakout discussion at the American Burn Association’s State of the Science conference that addressed community integration after burn injury. Community integration refers to an individual’s ability to be active in their expected community role at home, participating in both leisure activities in the community, and in productive activities such as work, school, or volunteering.
Education:
Going Back to School After a Major Burn Injury (Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center – MSKTC) is a factsheet that discusses children’s return to school after a burn injury. The factsheet discusses when a child should go back to school, how and when to plan for their return to school, preparing a child to return to school, and structured vs. informal school re-entry programs. The factsheet also describes accommodations.
Employment:
Employment After a Burn Injury (MSKTC) discusses how returning to work after a burn injury is an important phase of recovery. The factsheet touches on the following themes: figuring out when one is ready to return to work after a burn injury, work conditioning programs, workplace changes to help a survivor of burn injury return to work, typical workplace accommodations, on-the-job injury, vocational rehabilitation, and more. The factsheet also includes resources.
Children:
Healthy Eating After Burn Injury – For Kids (MSKTC) discusses nutrition for children with burn injury during hospitalization and after they return home. It discusses how having a burn injury increases the need for proper nutrition, how nutrition needs are determined, how nutrition needs are met while hospitalized, and what children should be eating once they return home. This factsheet also provides tips for a well-balanced diet, ideas for increasing protein, and kid-friendly smoothie recipes.
Help Your Child Recover – Build Your Child’s Resilience after Burn Injury (MSKTC) discusses what parents and other caregivers may expect right after a child’s burn injury, including common behavior changes, acute stress disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It also discusses what parents and other caregivers can do to build resiliency in children. This factsheet includes resources.
Health and Wellbeing:
Exercise and Burn Injury (MSKTC) discusses how burn injury affects the body, why exercise is important, different types of exercises, recreational activities, special considerations, and exercises to help with tightness.
Managing Pain After Burn Injury (MSKTC) discusses how pain can interfere with every aspect of a person’s life, including sleep, ability to work, mood, quality of life, and healing. It reminds readers to see their physician if they are experiencing pain. This factsheet discusses the steps needed to help manage pain: understanding one’s pain, treating pain, and coping with pain.
Healthy Eating After Burn Injury – For Adults (MSKTC) discusses nutrition after burn injury, both during hospitalization and after they return home. It describes how nutrition needs are determined, how one meets their nutrition needs while hospitalized, diabetes or high blood sugar, and what someone should eat once they return home. This factsheet also provides tips for a well-balanced diet, a sample menu, and resources.
Scar Management After Burn Injury (MSKTC) discusses why scars form, describes hypertrophic burn scars and common problems with hypertrophic scars, defines and discusses contractures, and discusses itching, sun exposure, and treatment of hypertrophic scars. It also discusses what burn survivors can do in relation to their scars.
Sleep Problems After Burn Injury (MSKTC) provides information on the sleep problems that people with burn injuries may encounter. It discusses the causes of sleep problems, how poor sleep can cause serious problems, the role of melatonin, and treatment options including those that do not involve medications.
Psychological Distress After Burn Injury (MSKTC) describes some of the emotional recovery challenges that patients may face after a burn injury. It describes the causes of psychological distress after burn injuries and the effects of psychological distress on health and recovery. This factsheet also discusses treatment options and provides resources.
Society:
Social Interaction After Burn Injury (MSKTC) discusses the social challenges that burn survivors experience during the transition from the safety of the hospital back into the community. It discusses how to understand the challenges with social interactions, social anxiety, finding help, and how to improve social interactions. This factsheet includes resources.
Resources:
- The Practical Clinic Guide from ISBI on Burn Injury Care (ISBI) provides recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of burn injuries. This guide provides information on the organization and provision of care for burn injury survivors. It also includes information on injury care, surgical management of the injury, non-surgery management of scars, prevention and control of infections, antibiotic use, nutrition, rehabilitation, and more.
- The NIDILRR-funded Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) (English) provides evidence-based slideshows, hot topic modules, systematic reviews, and factsheets that provide information and resources for people with burn injuries (English). Topics covered in these materials include exercise, understanding and improving body image, social interactions, employment, sleep problems, scar management, and more.
- Phoenix Society for burn survivors (English) is a community of burn survivors, their loved ones, health professionals, and firefighters. They provide support (English); resources (English) in a wide variety of topics for burn injury survivors; and programs (English) that provide one-on-one peer support, tools for young burn survivors and their loved ones, and e-learning and advocacy.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) (English) provides a factsheet in Spanish on burn injuries. This factsheet includes a definition of burn injuries, data from several countries, information on the economic impact of burn injuries, descriptions of who is at risk for burn injuries, and more. WHO also provides a plan in English for the prevention and attention to burn injuries.
Further Research:
- REHABDATA:
- International Research in REHABDATA:
- PubMed:
- gov:
About Answered Questions
Each month, we look through the searches on our blog and through the information requests made by our patrons who speak Spanish and pick a topic that fills the largest need. Each resource mentioned below is associated with this month’s information need. We search the various Spanish language news sources and feeds throughout the month to bring you these articles. With the exception of the NIDILRR Projects and Further Investigation, all the linked articles and resources are in Spanish – any that are in English will be clearly marked.
