Lived Experiences of Burn Patients: A Content Analysis Study

Abstract

Aim and Background: Burn-associated mental and physical injuries can lead to physical weakness in patients, their family members, and relatives. Achieving an appropriate understanding of the burn-related clinical expectations can accelerate positive patient outcomes. Therefore, the aim of the present content analysis study aimed to explain the lived experiences of burn patients.
Materials and Methods: This is conventional qualitative content analysis. Purposeful sampling was used to select the study population, including nine burn patients admitted to the Burn Department of Amir al-Momenin Hospital in Zabol, Iran in 2019. Data collection was carried out using semi-structured interviews. The data analysis process was carried out according to the steps proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. The accuracy and trustworthiness of data were assessed and ethical standards were taken into account.
Findings: Examination of the results resulted in the extraction of three main categories, including multidimensional impacts of burns, multiple conflicts following burn injuries, multiple reactions to burn injuries, and 11 subcategories.
Conclusion: The experiences of burn patients showed that all aspects of their lives were affected by their routine life disrupted following this incidence. Burn patients were involved with a variety of issues, and had shown some reactions; that is, some treated with burn injuries rationally and some showed emotional reactions. However, fortunately, some were able to come back to life. Considering the profound impacts of the burn incidence on all aspects of the life of these patients, it seems that this life is running in a bed of burn-related ash leftover from these impacts. Therefore, living in burn ash was identified as the essence of burn patients’ experiences.