A burn injury is tissue damage that results from heat, overexposure to the sun or other radiation, or chemical or electrical contact, which may be result in minor injuries or life-threatening emergencies. A person may have a burn injury when they encounter hot liquids or steam, flashes that result from an explosive blast, hot grease, or prolonged contact with something hot. People with burn injuries may experience complications such as bacterial infections, fluid loss, breathing problems if they experience inhalation injuries, scars or ridged areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue, bone and joint problems, or contractures. People with burn injuries may also experience secondary conditions such as heart rhythm disturbances, organ failure, pneumonia, seriously low blood pressure, chronic pain, delirium, sleep problems, and mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or psychological distress.
People with burn injuries have the right to live as independently as possible and to fully participate in their communities. However, they may face barriers such as physical, attitudinal, and programmatic barriers to employment, education, healthcare, housing, and recreation. NARIC’s information specialists are often asked for information and resources that may assist people with burn injuries live in and participate in their communities. Below, you will find just a few examples of evidence-based consumer products produced by the NIDILRR community for people with burn injuries, their families, and the service providers that support them:
- The Northwest Regional Burn Model System (NWRBMS) provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary services to people with burn injuries from the time of injury through recovery; educates patients, families, care providers, and the public about the natural course of burn injuries; and creates and disseminates new knowledge about innovative evidence-based interventions that improve the health and function, community living and participation, and employment of people with burn injuries. NWRBMS provides evidence-based factsheets that include Pediatric Scalds: Dos and Don’ts and Cooking Safety for Older Adults. NWRBMS has created an online guide to help people with burn injuries, employers, clinicians, and vocational counselors learn more about the process of returning to work.
- The Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System (BHBIMS) provides a multidisciplinary, comprehensive system of care for people with burn injuries that fosters innovative burn injury rehabilitation research. BHBIMS provides consumer-friendly evidence-based videos on a variety of topics related to burn injury, including videos on social and functional recovery, instructional therapy, and research. This Model System also shares information, resources, and opportunities to participate in burn injury research through Twitter and Facebook.
- The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) enhances the use of research-based information to inform decision-making by burn injury stakeholders and improves the lives of and services for people with burn injuries. The MSKTC works with the Burn Injury Model Systems to develop research-based, user-friendly products grounded in knowledge translation science. These products include factsheets, videos, and slideshows on a variety of burn injury-related topics. MSKTC developed a factsheet booklet in Spanish and each Spanish factsheet may be found with its corresponding English factsheet.
NARIC’s Research In Focus series features reader-friendly summaries on the latest research from the NIDILRR Community, including research on burn injuries. These summaries include Burn Injury Survivors May Face Racial or Ethnic Gaps in Community Integration After Injury and Telemedicine Can Help Care Teams Focus on Recovery After Burn Injury.
To learn more about these and other products from the NIDILRR community, contact NARIC’s information specialists.
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 