Increasing the utility of the Functional Assessment for Burns Score: Not just for major burns.
The Functional Assessment for Burns (FAB) score is established as an objective measure of physical function that predicts discharge outcome in adult patients with major burn. However, its validity in patients with minor and moderate burn is unknown. This is a multi-centre evaluation of the predictive validity of the FAB score for discharge outcome in adult inpatients with minor and moderate burns. FAB assessments were undertaken within 48 h of admission to (FAB 1), and within 48 h of discharge (FAB 2) from burn wards in 115 patients. Median age was 45 years and median burn size 4%. There were significant improvements in the patients' FAB scores (p<0.0001), 98 patients were discharged home (no social care) and 17 patients discharged to further inpatient rehabilitation or home with social care. FAB 1 score (≤ 14) is strongly associated with discharge to inpatient rehabilitation or home with social care (p=0.0001) and as such can be used to facilitate early discharge planning. FAB 2 (≤ 30) independently predicts discharge outcome to inpatient rehabilitation or home with social care (p<0.0001), increasing its utility to patients with minor and moderate burns.
St Andrew's Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 7ET, United Kingdom; St Andrew's Anglia Ruskin Research Unit (STAAR) Post Graduate Medical Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, Essex, United Kingdom. Electronic address: sarah.smailes@meht.nhs.uk.
Sarah T
ST
Smailes
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, 369, Fulham Road, London SW10 9NH, United Kingdom.
Kayleen
K
Engelsman
Queen Victoria Hospital, Holtye Road, East Grinstead, W Sussex RH19 3DZ, United Kingdom.
Louise
L
Rodgers
Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Mandeville Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 8AL, United Kingdom.
Clara
C
Upson
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002056:Burns / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices
Discharge Outcome; Functional Assessment for Burns; Minor and moderate burns; Physical function outcome score