The Presence of Scarring and Associated Morbidity
A Consumer Digest of Model System Research:
What is the study about?
This study aims to describe the frequency of scar-related morbidity over time as well as the long-term impact of burn scars on patient-reported functional, psychosocial, and reintegration outcome measures.
What did the study find?
Nearly all patients involved in this study had scarring, and reported additional symptoms and morbidity related to their scars two years after injury. Scarring increased significantly over time, but this did not correlate with deterioration in function or quality of life. Additionally, participants report that pain, itch, and sleep all improved.
Who participated in the study?
Data were collected from 960 burn patients (2440 anatomic burn sites) using the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) BMS database.
How was the study conducted?
Researchers documented changes in scar-related symptoms and characteristics in participants at discharge and 6, 12, and 24 months after. Researchers included patient-reported outcome measures that encompassed postburn function and quality of life as well as physical and cosmetic symptoms of scarring.
How can people use the results?
Clinicians, individuals with burn injury, and their families can use the results of this study to address the need for more support and research regarding scar-related morbidity in burn survivors. They also suggest that one can expect improvement in pain, itch and sleep. This could be communicated to patients and could serve as benchmarks for studies testing interventions.
Reference
Goverman, J., He, W., Martello, G., Bittner, E., Schulz, J., Gibran, N., Herndon, D., Suman, O., Kowalske, K., Meyer, W.J., Ryan, C., & Schneider, J. (2019). The Presence of Scarring and Associated Morbidity in the Burn Model System National Database. Annals of Plastic Surgery, 82(3 Suppl 2), S162-S168. DOI: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000001826