Effect of a Nurse-Led Rehabilitation Program: A Quasi-Experimental Study Examining Functional Outcomes in Patients With Hand Burns.

Purpose: The model of early rehabilitation for people with burns is still relatively novel in developing countries such as Egypt. The study examined the effect of a nurse-led rehabilitation program on functional outcomes in patients with severe hand burns.

Design: A quasi-experimental design was used in this study.

Methods: The study was completed in the burn unit of a teaching university hospital in Alexandria, Egypt, with a convenience sample of 80 patients with severe hand burns. Participants were consecutively assigned to one of two groups: control ( n = 40), which received only routine hospital care and clinical interventions, or intervention ( n = 40), which received routine hospital care and clinical interventions and a 4-week nurse-led rehabilitation program (health education including audiovisual aids and burn rehabilitation education booklet, social support, and hand rehabilitation exercises). To assess functional outcomes, both groups were given pre- and posttests of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand outcome and the Hand Motor Function Observational Checklist questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted.

Results: Functional outcomes were significantly improved in the intervention participants compared to the control participants ( t = 5.710, p < .001). The differences in index scores between the two groups were statistically significant ( p < .001).

Clinical relevance: The study provides information for burn rehabilitation nurses in developing countries to develop and test early interventions that improve functional outcomes in this population.

Conclusions: A 4-week nurse-led program may be a beneficial intervention for improving functional outcomes in adult patients with severe hand burns who are undergoing rehabilitation.