Evaluation of the quality of life of burn survivors at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali

Abstract

BACKGROUND Burns can have a massive negative impact on psychological and physical functioning that affect the quality of life of burn patients. Burn injury can significantly lower a person's quality of life by interfering with their ability to function both psychologically and physically. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of burn survivors at the University teaching hospital of Kigali METHODOLOGY This was a cross-sectional Study, conducted from April 2021 to June 2022 at The University teaching hospital of Kigali (CHUK). Data were collected using burn specific health scale breath (BSHS-B) questionnaire. Epidata was used to collect and store the data, while SPSS version 23 was utilized for Analysis. Descriptive statistics have been used to generate frequencies and percentages. Bivariate and multivariate Analysis was done to assess correlations between variables and factors associated with quality of life. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS 63 participants were included, 38(60%) patients were female, 27(42.85%) were aged below 18 years, and 27(42%) were married. The flame was the most cause of burns 29(46%) followed by scald 25(40%). Limited functionality due to joint stiffness and postburn contracture was found in 40% of patients; The majority of patients (54%) were in low socioeconomic classes (Ubudehe 1 and 2) Major burns (more than 20% TBSA) represented 65% of our patients. Overall, the mean length of hospital stay was 36.6days. 61.9% participants reported a poor QoL while 25.4% were classified in the “worst quality of life” category. No patient was classified in “best quality of life” category. The QoL determinants included age (p-value=0.01), gender (p-value=0.017), LoHs (pvalue=0.03), affected body party (p-value=0.003), TBSA (p-value=0.008), burn Depth (pvalue=0.002) and Cause of burn (p-value=0.02).

Conclusion: The QOL for burn survivors at CHUK is unacceptably poor. We propose training of more plastic surgeons, physiotherapist, increasing burn center capacity and additional study is required to comprehend the epidemiological profile and factors influencing the development of post-burn contracture in burn survivors at CHUK