Although the attention for functional outcomes after burn injury has grown over the past decades, little is known about functional independence in performing activities of daily living in children after burn injury. Therefore, in this prospective cohort study functional independence was measured by burn care professionals with the WeeFIM(®) instrument in 119 pediatric patients with burns (age: 6 months-16 years; 58.8% boys) in the Netherlands. In order to identify whether functional independence was affected, participants' total scores on the WeeFIM(®) instrument were compared to American norm values. Of the participants assessed at 2 weeks post burn (n = 117), 3 months post burn (n = 68) and/or 6 months post burn (n = 38), 22, 9 and 9 participants showed affected performance, respectively. Improvements in WeeFIM(®) total scores for the total study population between 2 weeks and 6 months post burn were significant (Wilcoxon T = 2.5; p<.001, effect size = -0.59). Individual improvements were found to be significant for 30.3% of the assessed participants between 2 weeks and 3 months post burn, and for 12.1% between 3 and 6 months post burn. This study is unique in providing data on functional independence for this large and special population. However, a proportion of participants were lost to follow-up and the use of the WeeFIM(®) instrument in this specific population and setting has its limitations. To conclude, burn injury impacts functional independence in children, yet the vast majority of Dutch pediatric patients with burns returns to functional independence typical for age within 6 months post burn.
Tijdens een fietsvakantie in het Engelse Cornwall, samen met zijn vrouw Ellen Witteveen, liep Ger Monden uit Amsterdam ruim tien jaar geleden hersenletsel op door een val. Na een half jaar in coma onderging hij intensieve revalidatie. Ellen merkte dat zij vaak onvoldoende bij dat proces werd betrokken. ‘Als mantelzorger ben je veelal geen interessante partner voor de medische wereld. Sommige professionals ervaren je voor mijn gevoel toch meer als concurrent als je een aandeel in de behandeling wilt hebben. Ik ben docent en onderzoeker bij het Kenniscentrum Sociale Innovatie van de Hogeschool Utrecht. We doen onderzoek naar mensen die langdurige zorg nodig hebben.
