Longitudinal Outcomes of Burned Service Members Treated in the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Burn Center

There are currently no published studies concerning active-duty service members' responses to burn injuries sustained during combat operations or in theaters of conflict. Data obtained from this study will be analyzed with data previously collected from both civilian and military subjects, but for which the number of burn injured service members is inadequate for definitive examination. This study consists of a prospective, repeated measures, longitudinal exploration of the adaptive efforts of service members following a burn injury incurred in the course of active-duty military service. Specifically, the research team will identify attributes and circumstances that optimize or limit potential for: 1)physical and mental health recovery, 2) social acceptance and reintegration, and 3) human growth in the context of a burn injury experience. Knowledge gained from the study will enhance the identification of service members' health needs during the 18 months following burn injury. Ultimately, it is hoped that the findings from this study will provide two primary outcomes: 1) the implementation of evidence-based nursing care models for service members after burn injuries and 2) recommendations to the Command of the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) Burn Center regarding the usefulness of various instruments for ongoing outcomes measurement of burned patients after discharge from the Burn Center. All measures of health and well-being used in the study address aspects of overall adjustment frequently referenced in the research literature as "quality of life." Additionally, a majority of the instruments are being used in ongoing research within civilian burn centers, thereby providing data for comparison regarding sample characteristics and clinical needs/outcomes. The study will be conducted at the USAISR Burn Center, a facility known for progressive burn treatment. One hundred twenty patients will be recruited for this study to arrive at a final sample size of 90 active-duty service members. At the time of hospital discharge, each subject will be asked to provide data in an instrument packet containing demographic and clinical data sheets, the Burn Specific Health Scale, the Short Form 36 Health Survey, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Community Integration Questionnaire, the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. Data will again be collected at three, six, 12, and 18 months post-discharge. Both non-parametric and parametric techniques will be used to analyze study data. One-way and multiple analysis of variance techniques will examine health status, recovery, and quality of life outcomes over multiple time frames.

Final Report is available on NTRL: https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2017102...