611 Priorities in Global Burns Research Prioritization Setting Partnership: Perspectives from US Burn Patients, Caregivers, Clinicians

TL;DR

This study identifies top research priorities in burn care based on input from US patients, caregivers, and clinicians, aligning with global priorities to improve clinical guidelines and patient outcomes.

Contribution

The study uses a participatory approach involving US stakeholders to align local and global burn care research priorities.

Findings

US participants identified top priorities in burn care that align with global themes, including psychological and medical treatment aspects.

An international consensus meeting ranked the top 10 global research priorities, with US data contributing to the final list.

The study highlights the importance of integrating patient and caregiver perspectives into burn care research and guidelines.

Abstract

Identification of unanswered questions in burn research could help guide targeted efforts to improve knowledge and support consensus in creating clinical guidelines. The current study applied community-based participatory research methods involving burn patients, caregivers, and burn clinicians to provide an approach that may enhance results that are particularly relevant to populations served by this research.

Using an international recruitment strategy representing 88 countries, a comprehensive survey was administered to adult burn patients, caregivers, and clinicians to explore important aspects of burn care for each group. Qualitative thematic analysis combined with a review of clinical guidelines yielded 52 prioritized domains of burn care. Participants identified their top 10 priorities, which were further ranked during an international consensus meeting using James Lind Alliance methodology. This synchronous international meeting was held online in 2024 with stakeholders from 15 countries, who participated in mixed groups of burn patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers and collaborated to rank-order a final top 10 list of global research priorities in burn care. USA data were extracted for the present study.

Survey 1 was completed by 131 participants in the USA (49 burn patients, 10 caregivers, and 72 clinicians), representing 8% of the total sample (n=1617). Survey 2 was completed by 51 US participants (20 patients, 4 caregivers, 27 clinicians), again representing 8% of total sample (n=630). The Top 3 priority questions based on US data converged with themes identified by the global Top 10 priorities, denoting emphasis on psychological/social aspects of burn care and optimal acute care medical treatments. Further details of study characteristics, top domains, and representative participant quotes will be provided as part of this presentation.

The top 3 priority questions in global burn research identified by US participants as part of an international James Lind Alliance project reflect emphasis on optimizing medical wound care as well as psychosocial considerations for burn patients and caregivers.

The top 10 global priorities as well as the top 3 US priority questions can be used to inform future research to enhance burn care efficacy and patient outcomes. Application of a global perspective may assist clinicians and researchers to collaborate internationally to optimize research and clinical guidelines.

National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)