Quality indicators in burn care: An international burn care professionals survey to define them

Abstract

Introduction: Quality indicators (QIs) are tools for improving and maintaining the standard of care. Although burn injuries are a major global health threat, requiring standardized management, there is a lack of worldwide accepted quality indicators for burn care. This study aims to identify the best burn care-specific QIs as perceived by worldwide burn practitioners.

Methods: The ISBI Burn Care Committee developed a survey to analyze which burn care- specific QIs were relevant to international burn care professionals. The questionnaire was based on the three dimensions of the Donabedian model (i.e., Structure, Process, and Outcome) to evaluate the quality of care. The study was conducted from April to September 2021 and analyzed and reported following the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES).

Results: According to the 124 worldwide respondents, the most relevant QIs were: access to intensive care, burn surgeons, and dedicated burn care nurses (Structure category), 24-hours access to burn services, local protocols based on documented guidelines (Process category), and in-hospital mortality and incidence of severe infections (Outcome category).

Conclusions: Specific QIs related to structures, clinical processes, and outcomes are needed to monitor the treatment of burn patients globally, assess the efficiency of the provided treatment, and harmonize the worldwide standard of burn care.

Keywords: Burn Units; Burns; Health Care; Outcome and Process Assessment; Quality Indicators.