A qualitative study of teachers’ experiences of a school reintegration programme for young children following a burn injury

Grip strength in children after non-severe burn injury

PURPOSE

To characterise grip strength in children with non-severe burn injury, and further understanding of how demographic and clinical variables impact musculoskeletal recovery.

METHODS

A retrospective, cross-sectional audit of routinely collected clinical data was performed. Standardised protocols were used to measure height, weight and grip strength. Demographic and clinical information was collected from patient medical records. Grip strength comparisons were made against normative data using paired t-tests. General linear regressions with backwards elimination were performed to assess impact of clinical, demographic and physical variables on grip strength.

RESULTS

Children who were right hand (RH) dominant had reduced RH (18.9 ± 9.9 kg, p = 0.001) and left hand (LH)(17.6 ± 9.3 kg, p = 0.027) grip strength compared to age, sex and hand-dominance matched norms (RH, 20.0 ± 10.0 kg; LH, 18.4 ± 9.5 kg). Children who were assessed closer to the time of their injury, and those who were burnt at a young age were more likely to score grip strength values below the norm (p < 0.001 for all analyses). In particular, females appeared to be at a higher risk of low grip strength scores if burnt at a young age (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Children with non-severe burn injury struggle to recover musculoskeletal strength, with those who were assessed closer to the time of injury or burnt at a young age especially at risk of impaired grip strength performance. Grip strength does not appear to be influenced by any other clinical variables or burn injury characteristics.

Improving the Quality of Life of Cancer Survivors in School: Consensus Recommendations Using a Delphi Study

Successful school re-entry is important for children following cancer treatment. However, this process is a challenge for teachers. Objectives: To identify (1) the difficulties and needs that teachers have in helping youth cancer survivors be successful in school, (2) the most effective resources that teachers are currently using for helping them, and (3) the ideal contents for a program that could help teachers in this area. Methods: Twenty-eight teachers participated in a Delphi study. Results: A lack of knowledge regarding how to best help and having to deal with the student’s problems were identified as difficulties. Specific training, psychological support, and advice from health professionals were the most commonly reported needs. Maintaining contact with the family and the students and providing personalized attention were viewed as the most useful resources. Finally, knowledge about the disease itself and how to facilitate successful school re-entry were identified as important program components. Conclusion: The findings provide important new information regarding the lack of both resources and support for teachers who seek to help youth cancer survivors. The findings can be used to inform the development of an intervention to help teachers become more successful in facilitating successful school re-entry.

School reintegration of pediatric burn survivors: An integrative literature review

BACKGROUND

The school is an essential context for children's social interaction with peers and to develop academic skills. Therefore, a fast reintegration can help children with burns to normalize their life. Thus, school reintegration is an important outcome after burns. The aim of this review was to systematically synthesize the literature addressing school reintegration programs of pediatric burns survivors.

METHODS

Five electronic databases were searched independently by two reviewers. The search yielded 13 eligible publications. A qualitative content analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

The two themes identified centered around (1) the roles, obstacles, and support for the different stakeholders (i.e., the child, parents and teacher) and (2) the contents of the school reintegration programs in which subthemes such as purpose, planning, essential elements, team, and effect were distinguished. The results show that return to school should start as soon as the child is admitted to the hospital and the program should acknowledge the different stakeholders' needs and tailor the program to these needs.

CONCLUSION

The review emphasizes the necessity of an integrated school reintegration program empowering both the child, the parents and the teachers and tailored to the child's specific situation. Furthermore, it offers recommendations for further improvement of the field.

Review of Burn Research for Year 2014

Management of burn injuries requires treatments and interventions from many disciplines. Worldwide, burn patients suffer from physical and psychological challenges that impact their lives socially and economically. In this review, we will highlight a handful of the numerous articles published in multiple areas of burn care. The areas of burn care addressed in the article are: epidemiology; burn resuscitation, critical care, and infection; nutrition and metabolism; pain and rehabilitation; prevention and firefighter safety; psychology; and reconstruction and wounds.