Factors associated with time to recovery of burns patients in Uganda

Abstract

Burns are a major global public health problem and constitute a leading cause of life-threatening trauma, physical impairment and disabilities worldwide. In Uganda, burn injuries persist as a significant challenge ranking among the foremost causes of morbidity and mortality. The main objective of the study was to assess the median time to burn injury recovery in Uganda and factors predicting that time. The period from date of admission to date of discharge of a burns patient was adopted as a measure of recovery time. Assessment was made by socio demographic and clinical factors of patients. Medical records of 457 burns patients admitted at Mulago hospital were adopted in the investigations. The analysis was undertaken using a time-to event approach comprising the Log-Rank test and log logistic AFT model. Further, a descriptive summary of recovery time was made using the Kaplan-Meier estimate. In the results, the median recovery time of the discharged patients was 12 days (range 1-100). In the multivariate analysis, recovery time varied significantly by HIV status. Age. Total Burn Surface Area (TBSA) and sex of caregiver (p<0.05). Particularly, the recovery time was longer among HIV positive patients, those aged above 20 years, patients with large TBSA and those with male caregivers. In an effort to provide optimal burn care the findings point to the need to: (i) Tailored Support for HIV-Positive Patients; (ii) incorporate age-specific interventions, particularly among the adult patients: (iii) step-up measures in provision of enhanced care for patients with Large Total Burn Surface Area (TBSA); (iv) provide training programs for caregivers, particularly the males, emphasizing the specific needs of burn patients based on their characteristics.