Risk factors for peri-traumatic distress and appearance concerns in burn-injured inpatients identified by a screening tool

Abstract

Lay SummaryFollowing a burn injury, as well as physical healing, people may also have other challenges to overcome. For some patients this includes concerns about how their appearance may change, while for others it includes emotionally recovering from the psychological trauma experienced. This article is based on data routinely collected using a screening tool, which included questions on social support, coping, appearance concerns, trauma and previous difficulties. This was administered predominantly face-to-face, by a member of the psychology team, to 461 inpatients aged 16–96 years who were admitted to hospital following a burn injury. Of those screened, 41% were female and 59% were male, with the majority (45.8%) being White British. Most patients were screened within seven days of admission (88%), with 41% screened within one day of admission. This article describes how frequently appearance and trauma concerns arise in a group of patients hospitalised for burn injuries. It also describes which people are most likely to report these problems. We found that while some groups of people tend to describe higher levels of trauma or appearance concern than others, not all patients follow the same pattern. The most reliable way of identifying people who need support is to screen all inpatients.