Citation

Thomas B, Ford CG, Addicks S, Williford DN, Manegold EM, Randall C, Aballay AM, Hadjuk G, Duncan CL. J. Burn Care Res. 2019; 40(3): 331-335.

Affiliation

West Penn Hospital Burn Center, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Burn Association, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1093/jbcr/irz020

PMID

30806462

Abstract

Burn injuries are significant medical traumas often resulting in substantial psychosocial distress. Early identification of psychosocial concerns is crucial to developing individualized treatments to improve psychosocial functioning. Few studies have examined the prevalence of a broad range of psychosocial concerns in an adult outpatient burn setting. In this study, we developed and implemented a screening instrument to identify patients experiencing acute psychosocial distress/risk and patients with mental health difficulties necessitating a psychology consult. The instrument assessed depression, anxiety, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, perceived safety at home, and suicidal ideation. Adult patients (N = 179) completed the screener during an initial outpatient clinic visit. Responses on the screener were used to identify patients as "high risk" (i.e., endorsing suicidal ideation and/or feeling unsafe at home), "moderate risk" (i.e., endorsing no-acute mental health symptoms), or "low risk" (i.e., few to no symptoms endorsed). Patients in the "high risk" category were immediately evaluated by the attending physician, who then determined whether emergency treatment was needed. Patients in the "moderate risk" category were referred to the on-site psychology team for in-person or phone consultation within three days of screener completion. Of the 179 individuals screened, a majority endorsed low to no psychosocial distress (N = 124; 69.3%). About one-third (N = 52) indicated moderate levels of psychosocial distress, and 2 patients (1%) endorsed acute psychosocial distress. This novel screening tool was effectively implemented in an outpatient burn clinic, and demonstrates considerable promise for identifying psychosocially-vulnerable patients in an adult burn survivor population.

© American Burn Association 2019. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en

Keywords

adults; burns; outpatient; psychosocial adjustment; psychosocial screening