Beyond skin deep: understanding the physical and psychological sufferings of burn survivors in the Sultanate of Oman
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Beyond skin deep: understanding the physical and psychological sufferings of burn survivors in the Sultanate of Oman Sultan Al-Shaqsi 1,2 & Said Al-Busaidi 2 & Ammar Al-Kashmiri 2 & Adel Mohammad Hashish 2 & Assad Mheisin 2 & Jouka Al-Barashdi 2 Received: 20 July 2019 / Accepted: 26 November 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Background Burn injuries cause a significant physical and psychological suffering. Burn survivors report low quality of life score. Understanding the physical and psychological sufferings of burn survivors is a critical step towards improving the quality of life of such survivors. There is limited data about the quality of life from developing countries such as the Sultanate of Oman. This study aims to report the physical and psychological sufferings of burn survivors in the Sultanate of Oman. Methods Cross-sectional survey of burn survivors using the Burn Specific Health Scale-brief tool. Adult survivors were asked to rate the quality of their lives post-injury in four domains. The domains are hand function, affect, interpersonal relations, and heat sensitivity. Results There were 48 participants in this study. Males constituted 52.1% of the sample. The average age was 37.6 years. The mean estimated total body surface area of the burn was 27%. The cause of burn was flame in almost half of the participants (41.7%). Burn survivors in this study reported low scores in terms of hand function (average 3). While 64% of them reported feeling sad and unhappy about their appearance. Furthermore, 39.6% indicated that the burn has negatively impacted their interpersonal relationships with their families and friends. Conclusions This study highlighted that burn survivors in the Sultanate of Oman report low quality of life as measured by the Burn Specific Health Scale-brief. Such physical and psychological areas should be targeted for comprehensive improvement of burn care in the Sultanate of Oman. Level of evidence: Level IV, risk/prognostic study. Keywords Burn . Quality of Life . Trauma . Injuries . Sultanate of Oman . Survivor . Health . Wellbeing
Background Burns are complex injuries that can lead to morbidity and long-term physical and psychological morbidity. The physical
Level of evidence Level IV, risk/prognostic study. Highlights • This is the first study to report the quality of life among burn survivors from the Sultanate of Oman • Burn survivors reported significant negative impact from the injury in their hand function, psychological wellbeing, interpersonal relations, and sense of general wellbeing. * Sultan Al-Shaqsi [email protected] 1
The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Rotman/ Stewart Building, 149 College Street, 5th Floor, Suite 508, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1P5, Canada
2
Khoula Hospital, Ministry of Health, Muscat, Oman
and psychological repercussions of burns have considerable adverse effects on the lifestyles of those afflicted with burn injuries [1] (Tables 1 and 2). The majority of burn
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