Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life in Postburn Adult Survivors: A Cross-sectional 4 Years of Experience Study From Cyprus

Burn injuries have a significant impact on various aspects of survivors' lives. This study evaluates, assesses, and interprets the health-related quality of life in postburn adult survivors. Of 135 patients admitted from 2019 to 2023 in the burns intensive care unit, 70 responded to a questionnaire. Primary socio-demographic data and details about the cause and extent of burns were collected. A brief EuroQol-5 Dimension-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire was completed by interviewing burn survivors, and data were then analyzed. The mean age of participants was 52.12 years, and the prevalent gender was males (61.4%). Thermal burns were the most common cause of burn-related injury (91.4%)-most subjects (55.8%) suffered from partial-thickness burns, followed by full-thickness burns affecting 42.8%. The most presented percentage of total body surface area (%TBSA) burned was 1%-10%, accounting for 60% of cases. The most required hospitalization timeframe was 1-5 days. Regarding participants' quality of life (QoL), most reported no problem in the 5 health dimensions. The health dimensions that were mainly affected were depression/anxiety followed by pain/discomfort. All participants' mean EQ-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) score was 80.98. Our findings disclose a compromised health-related quality of life for postburn individuals, particularly in dimensions of depression/anxiety followed by pain/discomfort. There is a pressing need to establish long-term support for burn survivors by relevant organizations.