TY - JOUR
T1 - 12-month generic health status and psychological distress outcomes following an Australian natural disaster experience: 2009 Black Saturday Wildfires
AU - Wasiak, Jason
AU - Mahar, Patrick
AU - Lee, Stuart James
AU - Paul, Eldho
AU - Spinks, Anneliese B
AU - Pfitzer, B
AU - Cleland, Heather J
AU - Gabbe, Belinda Jane
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - To describe the generic health status, health-related quality of life and psychological distress
over a 12-month period of burns patients affected by the 2009 Black Saturday Wildfires.
Design setting and participants: Cohort study with retrospective assessment of pre-injury status and
prospective assessment of physical and psychosocial functioning in the Black Saturday Wildfires burns
patients across time. Generic health status and burn specific quality of life using the 36-item Short Form
Health Survey (SF-36) and Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS) were collected at three, six and twelve
months post-burn injury. In addition, similar time points were used to measure level of psychological
distress and the presence of pain using the Kessler-10 questionnaire (K-10) and the McGill Pain
Questionnaire.
Results: At 12 months post-injury, patients reported a mean 17.4 (standard error, SE: 2.93) reduction in
physical health and a 5.1 (SE 2.98) reduction in mental health scores of the SF-36 as compared to their
pre-injury scores, with significant decreases observed in the ``bodily pain??, ``physical functioning??, ``role
physical?? and ``vitality?? subscales. Most patients displayed high levels of psychological distress and
persistent pain, with no significant changes during the study period to the overall burns specific quality
of life.
Conclusions: Even 12 months post-burn injury, patients affected by the 2009 Victorian Wildfires still
experienced a significant reduction in generic health, increased psychological distress and persistent
pain. The need for early and ongoing identification of physical and psychosocial impairments during
hospital admission and upon discharge could be helpful to establish systematic interdisciplinary goals
for long-term rehabilitation after severe burn injury.
AB - To describe the generic health status, health-related quality of life and psychological distress
over a 12-month period of burns patients affected by the 2009 Black Saturday Wildfires.
Design setting and participants: Cohort study with retrospective assessment of pre-injury status and
prospective assessment of physical and psychosocial functioning in the Black Saturday Wildfires burns
patients across time. Generic health status and burn specific quality of life using the 36-item Short Form
Health Survey (SF-36) and Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS) were collected at three, six and twelve
months post-burn injury. In addition, similar time points were used to measure level of psychological
distress and the presence of pain using the Kessler-10 questionnaire (K-10) and the McGill Pain
Questionnaire.
Results: At 12 months post-injury, patients reported a mean 17.4 (standard error, SE: 2.93) reduction in
physical health and a 5.1 (SE 2.98) reduction in mental health scores of the SF-36 as compared to their
pre-injury scores, with significant decreases observed in the ``bodily pain??, ``physical functioning??, ``role
physical?? and ``vitality?? subscales. Most patients displayed high levels of psychological distress and
persistent pain, with no significant changes during the study period to the overall burns specific quality
of life.
Conclusions: Even 12 months post-burn injury, patients affected by the 2009 Victorian Wildfires still
experienced a significant reduction in generic health, increased psychological distress and persistent
pain. The need for early and ongoing identification of physical and psychosocial impairments during
hospital admission and upon discharge could be helpful to establish systematic interdisciplinary goals
for long-term rehabilitation after severe burn injury.
UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020138312003713
U2 - 10.1016/j.injury.2012.08.060
DO - 10.1016/j.injury.2012.08.060
M3 - Article
VL - 44
SP - 1443
EP - 1447
JO - Injury
JF - Injury
SN - 0020-1383
IS - 11
ER -