Evaluation of effectiveness of a social reintegration program following a burn injury

Abstract

The increased survival rate of individuals with a burn injury over the last two decades has led to a greater need for research focused on social reintegration among individuals post-burn in order to improve their reintegration back into society and their overall psychosocial wellbeing. Forty-four percent of patients with burn injuries report not receiving the psychosocial support they needed during rehabilitation, which can have a long-lasting impact on their overall wellbeing. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a social reintegration program at an American Burn Center verified site in the Southeast. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated through quality of life post discharge, utilizing the CARe Burn Scale. An analysis of this study’s participant data was compared to the mean scores obtained by the author of the CARe Burn Scale. The analysis of the results revealed that the individuals at the site had clinically significant positive results for social reintegration and quality of life outcomes comparatively. Also, participants in this study reported higher rates of social reintegration and more positive psychosocial outcomes than widely published averages. The evaluation revealed the effectiveness of a social reintegration program on an individual’s quality of life, the importance of a social reintegration program throughout the continuum of care, and the role that a multidisciplinary team has on the development of an effective program.