Socio-economic and clinical factors predictive of paediatric quality of life post burn

Burns represent the second most common cause of non-intentional death in children under the age of five. Burns are amongst the most traumatic injuries and may impose significant psychological, educational, social and future occupational limitations to the young child.This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the socio-economic and clinical factors which predict quality of life in children with burn in a burns unit in South Africa.The Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and the Household Economic and Social Status Index (HESSI) questionnaires were administered to children and their caregivers one week and three months post discharge from the Johnson and Johnson Paediatric Burns Unit, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto.The improvement in the PedsQL scores suggests that the quality of life for children three months after discharge is good despite being burnt. The severity of the burn was found to be a significant predictor of quality of life (p = 0.00). Poor socio-economic status was clearly evident in demographic data of the subjects.The findings from this study are particularly important in identifying areas for further research that would be beneficial to developing countries. Furthermore, the results are important in the move towards more holistic care for paediatric burn survivors.