Effectiveness of incorporating occupational therapy in rehabilitation of hand burn patients.

One of the main goals in the rehabilitation process of patients with burn to their hands is their return to society and their professional occupation, which has a direct positive influence on these patients' quality of life. The goal of this research project was to investigate the effect of early intervention with occupational therapy in patients with burns to their hands. The study included 30 patients with second or third degree hand burns. Patients were added to the study 12 days after their burn wounds and grafted areas had healed. They had 3 sessions of occupational therapy per week for 8 weeks. These sessions included active and passive range of motion exercises, active resistive exercises, stretching exercises and practicing activities of daily living. Functionality of the hand was assessed before and after the 8 weeks of occupational therapy using the DASH questionnaire. The average initial DASH score before intervention with occupational therapy was 60.9, and after 8 weeks of occupational therapy it was 33.9 (average difference between the pre-intervention and post-intervention DASH scores is 27 points, p < 0.001). After 8 weeks of occupational therapy, patients performed activities of daily living with a lot less difficulty, and an increase in functionality of the hands was observed. This study suggests that early intervention with rehabilitative therapies is advantageous and may result in improved hand function.