Development of a brief version of the Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS-B).

Abstract

The Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS) is an outcome scale designed specifically for burn patients. The scale has been abbreviated (BSHS-A) and revised (BSHS-R). We used a factor analytic approach to further improve the scale for clinical use. Two hundred forty-eight of 350 former patients (70.9%) treated at the Uppsala Burn Unit between 1980 and 1995 responded to 94 questions from previous versions of the BSHS. Principal components factor analyses were used to derive an instrument with 40 items called the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B), resulting in nine well-defined domains with intercorrelations ranging from 0.11 to 0.56, and Chronbach's factor alphas ranging from 0.75 to 0.93. The domains describe function with respect to Heat Sensitivity, Affect, Hand Function, Treatment Regimens, Work, Sexuality, Interpersonal Relationships, Simple Abilities, and Body Image. The BSHS-B is a valid but shorter alternative to the previously described BSHS-A. Important domains of postburn distress are captured better in the BSHS-B than in the BSHS-R.