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What is the study about?

This study aims to examine potential racial/ethnic disparities in community integration for the two years after burn injury. One of the most important outcomes after burn is community integration, which is a person’s ability to be involved in their expected community roles. This can include productive roles like returning to work, and leisurely roles like visiting with others or shopping.

What did the study find?

This study found that there was a decrease in community integration between discharge and six months, a slight increase between six months and one year, and then leveled off between one and two years after discharge. White individuals had higher community integration score trajectories over time than black and Hispanic individuals. Community integration scores were similar between black and Hispanic individuals. These racial/ethnic disparities remained after accounting for age, sex, total burned surface area, number of days in rehabilitation, and active range of motion deficits.

Who participated in the study?

Individuals with burn injury (n=1773) enrolled in the Burn Model Systems National Database (BMS-NDB), along with data collected at discharge (preinjury recall), 6, 12, and 24 months after discharge.

How was the study conducted?

This study was a longitudinal observational study using data at discharge, 6, 12, and 24 months post discharge from the BMS-NDB.

How can people use the results?

Individuals with burn injuries and their families can use the results of this study to better understand the importance of community integration after burn injury. Practitioners can use these results to think about how to better target and use additional resources to help black and Hispanic individuals integrate back into their communities after burn injury.

Reference

Pierce, B.S., Perrin, P.B., Pugh, M., Cariello, A.N., Henry, R.S., Sutter, M.E., Wiechman, S.A., & Schneider, J.C. (2020). Racial/ethnic disparities in longitudinal trajectories of community integration after burn injury. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 99(7), 602-607. doi:10.1097/PHM.0000000000001378

Disclaimer

The contents of this quick review were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPKT0009). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this quick review do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.