Association of Pre-procedural Anxiety With Procedure-Related Pain During Outpatient Pediatric Burn Care: A Pilot Study.

The relationship between preprocedural anxiety and pain is not clear but has the potential to change the way pediatric patients need to be cared for prior to burn procedures. Using results from our recent randomized clinical trial among outpatient burn patients (n = 90) aged 6-17 years, the objective of this subsequent analysis was to assess whether preprocedural anxiety was associated with self-reported and researcher-observed pain scores. Anxiety before the dressing change was assessed using an abbreviated State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (range 6-21) and reported with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Self-reported pain was reported using a Visual Analog Scale (range 0-100) and observed pain was assessed using the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability-revised scale. Over half of patients (58.9%) reported mild anxiety (score < 12) and about 5% of patients reported severe anxiety (score > 16). Younger children (6-8 years) reported higher anxiety scores than older children (15-17 years), but the difference did not achieve statistical significance (mean = 12.7, 95% CI: 11.5 to 13.9, P = .09). Nonparametric spearman correlation indicated that anxiety score was significantly correlated with observed pain (P = .01) and self-reported overall pain neared statistical significance (P = .06). In the final logistic regression of reporting moderate-to-severe pain (pain score > 30), the association between anxiety scores and self-reported overall moderate-to-severe pain was statistically significant (P = .03) when adjusting for race, healing degree, and pain medication use within 6 hr prior to burn dressing care. This pilot study provides preliminary data showing that anxiety before outpatient pediatric burn dressing changes is significantly associated with self-reported overall moderate-to-severe pain.

Length of Stay Per Total Body Surface Area Burn: A Validation Study Using the National Burn Registry.

A length of stay (LOS) of one day per percent total body surface area (TBSA) burn has been generally accepted but not validated in current pediatric burn studies. The primary objective of this study is to validate previous Pediatric Injury Quality Improvement Collaboration (PIQIC) findings by using a national burn registry to evaluate LOS per TBSA burn relative to burn mechanism, sociodemographic characteristics, and clinical factors which influence this ratio. We evaluated patients 0-18 years old who sustained a burn injury and whose demographics were submitted to the National Burn Registry (NBR) dataset from July 2008 through June 2018. Mixed effects generalized additive regression models were performed to identify characteristics associated with the LOS per TBSA burn ratio. Among 51,561 pediatric burn patients, 45% were Non-Hispanic White, 58% were male, and median age was 3.0 years old (IQR: 1.0, 9.0). The most common burn mechanism was scald (55.9%). The median LOS per TBSA burn ratio across all cases was 0.9 (IQR: 0.4, 1.75). In adjusted models, scald burns had a mean predicted LOS per TBSA burn value of 1.2 while chemical burns had the highest ratio (4.8). Non-Hispanic White patients had lower LOS per TBSA burn ratios than all other races and ethnicities (p < .05). These data substantiate evidence on variance in LOS per TBSA burn relative to burn mechanism and race/ethnicity. Knowing these variations can guide expectations in hospital LOS for patients and families and help burn centers benchmark their clinical performance.

Development of the School-Aged Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (SA-LIBRE5-12) Profile: A Conceptual Framework.

Pediatric burn injuries can alter the trajectory of the survivor's entire life. Patient-centered outcome measures are helpful to assess unique physical and psychosocial needs and long-term recovery. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework to measure pediatric burn outcomes in survivors aged 5 to 12 years as a part of the School-Aged Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation Computer Adaptive Test (SA-LIBRE5-12 CAT) development. This study conducted a systematic literature review guided by the WHO International Classification of Functioning-Child and Youth and domains in the American Burn Association/Shriners Hospitals for Children Burn Outcomes Questionnaire5-18. Interviews with eight parents and seven clinicians were conducted to identify important domains in child recovery. One clinician focus group with four clinicians was completed to identify gaps in the preliminary framework, and semiweekly expert consensus meetings were conducted with three experts to solidify the framework. Qualitative data were analyzed by grounded theory methodology. Three major thematic outcome domains emerged: 1) Physical Functioning: fine motor and upper extremity, gross motor and lower extremity, pain, skin symptoms, sleep and fatigue, and physical resilience; 2) Psychological Functioning: cognitive, behavioral, emotional, resilience, and body image; and 3) Family and Social Functioning: family relationships, and parental satisfaction, school, peer relations, and community participation. The framework will be used to develop item banks for a CAT-based assessment of school-aged children's health and developmental outcomes, which will be designed for clinical and research use to optimize interventions, personalize care, and improve long-term health outcomes for burned children.

Efficacy of Smartphone Active and Passive Virtual Reality Distraction vs Standard Care on Burn Pain Among Pediatric Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: It is unknown whether smartphone-based virtual reality (VR) games are effective in reducing pain among pediatric patients in real-world burn clinics. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a smartphone VR game on dressing pain among pediatric patients with burns. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial included children aged 6 to 17 years who seen in the outpatient clinic of a large American Burn Association-verified pediatric burn center and level I pediatric trauma center between December 30, 2016, and January 23, 2019. Speaking English as their primary language was an inclusion criterion. Intention-to-treat data analyses were conducted from December 2019 to March 2020. Interventions: Active VR participants played a VR game; passive VR participants were immersed in the same VR environment without interactions. Both groups were compared with a standard care group. One researcher administered VR and observed pain while another researcher administered a posttrial survey that measured the child's perceived pain and VR experience. Nurses were asked to report the clinical utility. Main Outcomes and Measures: Patients self-reported pain using a visual analog scale (VAS; range, 0-100). A researcher observed patient pain based on the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability-Revised (FLACC-R) scale. Nurses were asked to report VR helpfulness (range, 0-100; higher scores indicate more helpful) and ease of use (range, 0-100; higher scores indicate easier to use). Results: A total of 90 children (45 [50%] girls, mean age, 11.3 years [95% CI, 10.6-12.0 years]; 51 [57%] White children) participated. Most children had second-degree burns (81 [90%]). Participants in the active VR group had significantly lower reported overall pain (VAS score, 24.9 [95% CI, 12.2-37.6]) compared with participants in the standard care control group (VAS score, 47.1 [95% CI, 32.1-62.2]; P = .02). The active VR group also had a lower worst pain score (VAS score, 27.4 [95% CI, 14.7-40.1]) than both the passive VR group (VAS score, 47.9 [95% CI, 31.8-63.9]; P = .04) and the standard care group (VAS score, 48.8 [95% CI, 31.1-64.4]; P = .03). Simulator sickness scores (range, 0-60; lower scores indicate less sickness) were similar for active VR (19.3 [95% CI, 17.5-21.1]) and passive VR groups (19.5 [95% CI, 17.6-21.5]). Nurses also reported that the VR games could be easily implemented in clinics (helpfulness, active VR: 84.2; 95% CI, 74.5-93.8; passive VR: 76.9; 95% CI, 65.2-88.7; ease of use, active VR: 94.8, 95% CI, 91.8-97.8; passive VR: 96.0, 95% CI, 92.9-99.1). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, a smartphone VR game was effective in reducing patient self-reported pain during burn dressing changes, suggesting that VR may be an effective method for managing pediatric burn pain. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04544631.

Epidemiology and trend of US pediatric burn hospitalizations, 2003-2016.

BACKGROUND: Thermal injury is a leading cause of unintentional pediatric trauma morbidity and mortality. METHODS: This retrospective analysis of the 2003-2016 Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) included children <18 years old with a burn principal diagnosis. The objectives were to describe the trend of US pediatric burn hospital admissions and the patient and hospital characteristics of admitted children in 2016. The trends (2003-2012) and (2012-2016) were evaluated separately due to the 2015 implementation of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). RESULTS: The population rate of pediatric burn admissions decreased by 4.6% from 2003 to 2012, but the proportion of admissions to hospitals with burn pediatric patient volumes≥100 increased by 63.9%. The overall mortality rate of hospitalized burn patients decreased by 48.1%. Median length of stay increased slightly for patients with a burn ≥20% total body surface area (TBSA) but decreased for patients with TBSA burn <20%. From 2012 to 2016, the population rate decreased by 13.4%. In 2016, an estimated 8160 children were admitted with a burn principal diagnosis, and 41.4% transferred in from other facilities. Children age 1-4 years were the most commonly admitted age group (49.7%). Patients with ≥20% TBSA burns accounted for 7.8% of admissions (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.1-10.4%). Burn-related complications were documented in 5.9% of admissions (95% CI: 4.6-7.1%). CONCLUSION: Pediatric burn hospitalizations and burn-related mortality have decreased over time. The increases in transfers and admissions to hospitals with high pediatric burn volumes suggest increasing regionalization of care.

Incidence of Unplanned 30-Day Readmissions in Adult Burn Patients in the United States.

This study characterizes adult burn readmissions in the United States using a nationally representative hospital inpatient sample. Readmission rates, diagnoses, and risk factors are discussed. We analyzed the 2013 and 2014 Nationwide Readmission Database for adult burn patients. The data were weighted to estimate national 30-day readmission rates. Principal readmission diagnoses were sorted into burn-specific or other readmission categories. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the effects of patient and hospital stay risk factors on readmissions. An estimated 42,957 U.S. adult burn patients were discharged between January and November of 2013 and 2014. Of these patients, an estimated 3203 had unscheduled readmissions within 30 days (all-cause readmission rate: 7.5%, 95% CI: 6.7-8.2). An estimated 55.4 per cent of unplanned readmissions were for burn-specific principal readmission diagnoses. Burn-specific readmission was associated with burn severity and increased with both patient age and the number of comorbidities. Patients whose length of stay was less than 1 day per % total body surface area (%TBSA) burned had higher readmission risk (Adjusted odds ratio = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.48-2.99). The results of logistic regression models were similar for burn-specific readmissions and all-cause readmissions. In a nationally representative sample of adult burn patients, 4.1 per cent had unplanned 30-day readmissions for burn-specific reasons; 7.5 per cent were readmitted for any reason. Patient comorbidities and discharge before 1 day per %TBSA from the hospital impact readmission risk. Healthcare providers can use this information to identify at-risk patients, modify their treatment plans, and prevent readmissions.

Prevalence and correlates of posttraumatic stress in parents of young children postburn.

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in the parents of very young children who sustained a minor to moderate size burn injury. Although prior research has explored this relationship in families of children with major burns, only minimal research has focused on children with minor to moderate injuries. Forty-five parents of young children (<6 years) with a burn injury (mean TBSA = 2.67%, SD = 2.40) completed questionnaires regarding PTSS and demographics at an outpatient burn clinic. Injury-related information was collected from medical records. Parents reported clinically significant levels of PTSS, although in most cases, full diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder were not met. The amount of distress was related to the age of the child at burn, child PTSS, and the source of burn. Variables such as size of burn, days spent as inpatient, or parental presence at the time of burn were not found to be related to parental distress. PTSS assessment should be made mandatory for all parents of young children experiencing a burn injury, regardless of size and severity of burn or parental presence at the time of burn.