Health-Related Quality of Life in Burn Injury Victims Attending a Specialized Institution

Introduction Burn injuries cause long-term physical, psychological, and social consequences that substantially affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL), particularly in LMICs. The evidence from Bangladesh remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate HRQOL among adult burn injury victims attending a specialized institute and to examine sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with HRQOL. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between July and December 2023 at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Dhaka. A simple random sampling technique using a daily lottery was employed to recruit 356 eligible inpatients and outpatients aged 18 years or older who were at least 4 weeks post-injury and who fulfilled the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. HRQOL was measured via the Bangla-translated Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B). Sociodemographic and burn-related variables were obtained through face‒to-face interviews. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, US) via descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results The mean total HRQOL score was 98.96 ± 19.20. Lower scores were observed for work-related functioning, simple abilities, hand function, and heat sensitivity, whereas interpersonal relationships demonstrated comparatively higher scores. HRQOL was significantly associated with age, marital status, and place of residence. Greater total body surface area burned, burn-related complications, wearing synthetic or woollen clothing, multiple surgical procedures, longer hospital stays, and outdoor burn incidents were also linked to lower HRQOL scores. No significant associations were found with sex, monthly family income, or cause of burn. Conclusions Burn injury survivors experience substantial impairment across several HRQOL domains, particularly those related to occupational and functional capacity. Strengthening long-term rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and decentralized burn-care services is essential to improve postburn outcomes in resource-limited settings.