Opportunities for Palliative Care in Patients With Burn Injury-A Systematic Review

Utilisation of palliative/ end-of-life care practice recommendations in the burn intensive care unit of a Ghanaian tertiary healthcare facility: An observational study

BACKGROUND

The need to integrate palliative/end-of-life care across healthcare systems is critical considering the increasing prevalence of health-related suffering. In burn care, however, a general lack of practice recommendations persists. Our burn unit developed practice recommendations to be implemented and this study aimed to examine the components of the practice recommendations that were utilised and aspects that were not to guide further training and collaborative efforts.

METHODS

We employed a prospective clinical observation approach and chart review to ascertain the utilisation of the recommendations over a 3-year period for all burn patients. We formulated a set of trigger parametres based on existing literature and burn care staff consultation in our unit. Additionally, a checklist based on the practice recommendations was created to record the observations and chart review findings. All records were entered into a secure form on Google Forms following which we employed descriptive statistics in the form of counts and percentages to analyse the data.

RESULTS

Of the 170 burn patients admitted, 66 (39%) persons died. Although several aspects of each practice recommendation were observed, post-bereavement support and collaboration across teams are still limited. Additionally, though the practice recommendations were comprehensive to support holistic care, a preponderance of delivering physical care was noted. The components of the practice recommendations that were not utilised include undertaking comprehensive assessment to identify and resolve patient needs (such as spiritual and psychosocial needs), supporting family members across the injury trajectory, involvement of a palliative care team member, and post-bereavement support for family members, and burn care staff. The components that were not utilised could have undoubtedly helped to achieve a comprehensive approach to care with greater family and palliative care input.

CONCLUSION

We find a great need to equip burn care staff with general palliative care skills. Also, ongoing collaboration/ partnership between the burn care and palliative care teams need to be strengthened. Active family engagement, identifying, and resolving other patient needs beyond the physical aspect also needs further attention to ensure a comprehensive approach to end of life care in the burn unit.

Refining the referral criteria of persons who have been burned to palliative care: A modified Delphi approach

A paucity of evidence is available to guide integration of specialist palliative care into burn care. This study's purpose was to develop consensus on referral criteria using a modified Delphi process. Content experts were defined as burn or palliative care providers in locations where the teams have collaborative history; published at least one manuscript or presented nationally on burn and palliative care collaboration; or nomination as having equivalent expertise. N = 202 eligible persons were identified; n = 43 participated in Iteration 1 and Iteration 3 retained 79%. Iteration 1 invited participants to rank published referral criteria on a 9-point Likert-style scale. Consensus was defined as an interquartile range ≤ 2. Consensus items with median scores ≤ 3 were dropped from further consideration. Consensus items with median scores ≥ 7 were considered to be important and excluded in Iteration 2. Iteration 2 which presented non-consensus items with their associated median (interquartile range) and the participant's own ranking from Iteration 1. Iteration 3 presented three models; participants ranked in order of preference and suggested revisions. Consensus was achieved on a final set of criteria for specialist palliative care for persons who sustain burn injuries. Future research should prospectively evaluate the criteria against meaningful outcomes.

Global epidemiology of geriatric burns, capacities of care, and injury outcomes: Perspectives from the World Health Organization global burn registry

BACKGROUND

An increasing aging population alongside a potentially increasing injury risk emphasizes a critical need for evidence-based burn care regarding preventive and therapeutic strategies tailored to the unique needs of older adults. However, we note a critical gap in understanding geriatric burn trends on a global scale and the care capacity across settings. Thus, this study sought to ascertain the global trend of geriatric burns with a focus on patient demographics, injury characteristics, capacities of care, and injury outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective design focusing on older adults aged ≥ 60 years with burns recorded in the World Health Organization Global Burn Registry as of 31st May 2023 was employed. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Of the 9277 records obtained from the Global Burn Registry, 849 participants (9.2%) were aged ≥ 60 years with the majority of these reported from the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) and Southeast Asia (SEARO) regions. More females than males were involved in burn injuries with the most common aetiological factor being flame. Most burns occurred in the home/ domestic setting with a seasonal variation (more injuries occurred in December and January). In terms of burn care capacity, the data suggest the availability of specialized services in most settings albeit the AFRO and SEARO regions still lacked the resources to offer specialized burn care. While most injured older adults were discharged home with no physical impairment (395, 46.5%), a substantial number died (250, 29.4%) during hospitalization, particularly in the African (AFRO) region and 111 (11.1%) left the facility against medical advice with the majority from the SEARO region (88).

CONCLUSION

Burn injuries in older adults remain a public health issue. On the preventive aspect, the results demonstrate a need to intensify safety in the home or domestic setting, and during festive seasons. Therapeutically, the findings underscore a need to consider the inclusion of more specialist geriatric and palliative care services in the burn management process. Additionally, we identified a need to strengthen burn care capacity in the AFRO and SEARO regions.

Components, Models of Integration, and Outcomes Associated with Palliative/ end-of-Life Care Interventions in the Burn Unit: A Scoping Review

Objective: To scope the literature to ascertain the components of palliative care (PC) interventions for burn patients, models of integration, and outcomes. Methods: Arksey and O'Malley scoping review design with narrative synthesis was employed and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Primary studies reporting PC interventions in the burn unit were considered for inclusion. CINAHL via EBSCO, PubMed, EMBASE via OVID, Web of Science, and gray literature sources were searched from inception to June 2021. Results: Fifteen studies emerging from high-income settings were retained. Data were organized around three concepts: components of palliative/ end of life care in the burn unit; models of integration; and outcomes. The components of interventions based on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Critical Care End-of Life Group domains include decision-making, communication, symptom management and comfort care, spiritual support, and emotional and practical support for families. Consultative and integrative models were noted to be the strategies for integrating PC in the burn unit. The outcomes were varied with only few studies reporting healthcare staff related outcomes. Conclusion: PC may have the potential of improving end-of-life care in the burn unit albeit the limited studies and lack of standardized outcomes makes it difficult to draw stronger conclusions regarding what is likely to work best in the burn unit.

Palliative Care and Burn Care: Empirically Derived Referral Criteria

Burns frequently require complex interdisciplinary care. Specialist palliative care (PC) minimizes suffering, aids in decision making, and provides family support in addition to end-of-life care. Specialist PC is a limited resource, best conserved by identifying persons most likely to benefit from a PC referral. Little guidance is available for clinicians on whether and when to refer to PC. This study's purpose was to identify referral criteria using a mixed-methods approach. Data were examined for between-group differences using Fisher's exact, chi-square, or Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze PC provider notes to describe interventions provided. These data formed initial referral criteria, which were reviewed by an expert panel. Significant between-group differences included dying in the burn center; whether multiple patients were transported to the burn center from one event; and ventilator days. Four themes emerged from qualitative analysis. These included managing physical aspects of care; clarifying goals of care; managing end-of-life care; and managing patient/family psychosocial distress. Expert panel input clarified referral criteria language and supplemented the proposed criteria. We present empirically derived referral criteria to guide burn providers in referring persons for specialist PC. Subsequent testing is required to determine their efficacy in improving patient/family outcomes.

Palliative Care Utilization in Burn Patients

Background: Burn injuries are a common cause for hospitalization, and severe burns have an increased risk of death in patients with advanced age, inhalational injury, comorbid conditions. Very little is known about the utilization of palliative care consultation in burn patients. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors influencing the utilization of inpatient palliative care consultation for patients with severe burn injuries. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review study at a single burn center. Results: Seventeen out of 191 patients (8.9%) received a palliative care consultation with the average time for consultation of 10.3 days. Factors that appear to impact consultation were age, presence of inhalational injury, and multiple comorbid conditions. Conclusion: Inpatient palliative care consultation was underutilized in patients with severe burn injurie. Further research into the outcomes of palliative care consultation could help further support the utility of early involvement in burn patients.

What do we know about experiencing end-of-life in burn intensive care units? A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this article is to review and synthesize the evidence on end-of-life in burn intensive care units.

METHODS

Systematic scoping review: Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews extension for Scoping Reviews was used as a reporting guideline. Searches were performed in 3 databases, with no time restriction and up to September 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 16,287 documents were identified; 18 were selected for analysis and synthesis. Three key themes emerged: (i) characteristics of the end-of-life in burn intensive care units, including end-of-life decisions, decision-making processes, causes, and trajectories of death; (ii) symptom control at the end-of-life in burn intensive care units focusing on patients' comfort; and (iii) concepts, models, and designs of the care provided to burned patients at the end-of-life, mainly care approaches, provision of care, and palliative care.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

End-of-life care is a major step in the care provided to critically ill burned patients. Dying and death in burn intensive care units are often preceded by end-of-life decisions, namely forgoing treatment and do-not-attempt to resuscitate. Different dying trajectories were described, suggesting the possibility to develop further studies to identify triggers for palliative care referral. Symptom control was not described in detail. Palliative care was rarely involved in end-of-life care for these patients. This review highlights the need for early and high-quality palliative and end-of-life care in the trajectories of critically ill burned patients, leading to an improved perception of end-of-life in burn intensive care units. Further research is needed to study the best way to provide optimal end-of-life care and foster integrated palliative care in burn intensive care units.

Treatment Decisions in Patients with Potentially Non-Survivable Burn Injury in Australia and New Zealand: A Registry-based Study

Whilst burn-related mortality is rare in high-income countries, there are unique features related to prognostication that make examination of decision-making practices important to explore. Compared to other kinds of trauma, burn patients (even those with non-survivable injuries) may be relatively stable after injury initially. Complications or patient comorbidity may make it clear later in the clinical trajectory that ongoing treatment is futile. Burn care clinicians are therefore required to make decisions regarding the withholding or withdrawal of treatment in patients with potentially non-survivable burn injury. There is yet to be a comprehensive investigation of treatment decision practices following burn injury in Australia and New Zealand. Data for patients admitted to specialist burn services between July 2009 and June 2020 were obtained from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand. Patients were grouped according to treatment decision: palliative management, active treatment withdrawn, and active treatment until death. Predictors of treatment initiation and withholding or withdrawing treatment within 24 hours were assessed using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression. Descriptive comparisons between treatment groups were made. Of the 32,186 patients meeting study inclusion criteria, 327 (1.0%) died prior to discharge. Fifty-six patients were treated initially with palliative intent and 227 patients had active treatment initiated and later withdrawn. Increasing age and burn size reduced the odds of having active treatment initiated. We demonstrate differences in demographic and injury severity characteristics as well as end of life decision-making timing between different treatment pathways pursued for patients who die in-hospital. Our next step into the decision-making process is to gain a greater understanding of the clinician's perspective (e.g., through surveys and/or interviews).

"Hanging in a balance": A qualitative study exploring clinicians' experiences of providing care at the end of life in the burn unit

BACKGROUND

Although the culture in burns/critical care units is gradually evolving to support the delivery of palliative/end of life care, how clinicians experience the end of life phase in the burn unit remains minimally explored with a general lack of guidelines to support them.

AIM

To explore the end of life care experiences of burn care staff and ascertain how their experiences can facilitate the development of clinical guidelines.

DESIGN

Interpretive-descriptive qualitative approach with a sequential two phased multiple data collection strategies was employed (face to face semi-structured in-depth interviews and follow-up consultative meeting). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

The study was undertaken in a large teaching hospital in Ghana. Twenty burn care staff who had a minimum of 6 months working experience completed the interviews and 22 practitioners participated in the consultative meeting.

RESULTS

Experiences of burn care staff are complex with four themes emerging: (1) evaluating injury severity and prognostication, (2) nature of existing system of care, (3) perceived patient needs, and (4) considerations for palliative care in burns. Guidelines in this regard should focus on facilitating communication between the patient and family and staff, holistic symptom management at the end of life, and post-bereavement support for family members and burn care practitioners.

CONCLUSIONS

The end of life period in the burn unit is poorly defined coupled with prognostic uncertainty. Collaborative model of practice and further training are required to support the integration of palliative care in the burn unit.