Effect of small burn injury on physical, social and psychological health at 3-4 months after discharge.

Comparatively little attention has been given to the impact of smaller burns (less than 20% body surface area) on patients' health status after their return to normal life. The objective of this study was to investigate patients' own assessment of their physical and psychological health 3-4 months after discharge from in-patient treatment. A postal survey was employed which utilised: (a) personal and employment status questions; (b) a short health status questionnaire which was developed for use with this group of patients; (c) the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD); (d) the impact of event scale (IES). The response rate to the survey was 71%. Physical and social function were reported to be affected at the follow-up point in a minority of patients. The greatest impact of the injury was on levels of anxiety and response to trauma-related stress, as measured by the HAD and IES instruments - almost one third of the responders (15 patients) had clinically significant scores on either or both dimensions of the IES. Factors which may be associated with the response to trauma-related stress are discussed.