The Process of Burn Patients Return to Community and Presentation of a Model

Abstract

Abstract: Background: burns are one of the commonly encountered and major health problems all over the world, including Iran. Recent advances in the care of patients has saved the lives of many of these patients with burns however, many patients still suffer from its effects. Due to the different dimensionality and size range of damaging effects on the line of burn victims, life after the burns are usually solitary and are closely related to their religious and cultural context. So the aim of this study was to investigate how patients with burns return to the community. Also a model was developed in accordance with existing context. Methods: the present work is a qualitative study which seeks to determine, using grinded theory. The study was started with a purposeful sampling and was continued with theoretical sampling to achieve date saturation. Unstructured interviews were used for data collection. A total of 23 interviews were conducted with 20 participants. Interviews with cabin and Strauss 2008 were analyzed. A model was designed to return patients with burns to the community. Finding: after data analysis, four categories was extracted as follows: A) matrix of self (context), B) self-disruption (main concerns), locating (strategies) and equilibrium (outcome). The participants to response to self-disruption used mental mechanisms including, self-exploration, others exploration and position in order to take operational decision for preserving self. Strategies outcomes were physical integration, connecting to the life stream and return to the existence. Model of caring for return to the existence was designed based on finding. Conclusion: available evidence suggests that burn survivors passing a multi- dimensional (phisicaly, mental, interactive and thought) trajectory in time and space. In this way, they experience a body transition from suffering to physical integrity, a mental journey from enduring to connecting to the life stream, an struggle escaping from isolation to joining others and a travel inside to change their believe about themselves in other to have a meaningfull life. Outcome of this passing is not return to before life. It is a new life ranging from loss of self to finding self. Keywords: burn, return, community, grounded theory, model