The Formosa Fun Coast water park dust explosion accident: Three-year cohort study to track changes and analyze the influencing factors of burn survivors' quality of life. 2019

Kuo-Cheng Hsu, and Ya-Chi Chen, and Li Fen Chen, and Hui Fang Lu
School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan; Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Nursing Department, Burn Center, Taiwan. Electronic address: email@cgmh.org.tw.

Nearly 500 people were injured in the dust explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast water park in 2015, making it the accident with the largest number of burn victims in Taiwan. Severe burn injuries are often accompanied by long-term impacts on physical, psychological, social, occupational, and aesthetic wellness. Survivors usually require several years or even decades of medical rehabilitation and psychological counseling, which inevitably affect their quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to assess the changes in the QoL and the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the survivors of the 2015 dust explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast water park and discuss the potential influencing factors. Data were collected from the burn victims using a self-administered sociodemographic and injury characteristics questionnaire, the adapted Chinese version of the Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (ACV BSHS-B), and the Impact of Event Scale for Burns (IESB). IBM-SPSS (Version 21.0) was used for the statistical analysis of the data. A total of 81 patients were enrolled in this study from July 2016 to August 2018. The study results revealed that gender, employment status after the burn injury, marital status, injury area, and the presence of facial burns greatly affected survivors' QoL three years following the injury. Survivors' simple abilities (Mean: 3.91 out of 4 on average, SD: .21) showed the best recovery and improved significantly over time. Employment (Mean: 2.33, SD: .98) and body image (Mean: 1.94, SD: .95) were considered the most influential factors on QoL, with no significant improvement over the three years. Moderate to severe pain, itching, and sleep problems caused by the dust explosion still affected 29.2%, 46.6%, and 58.1% of survivors after three years, respectively. Survivors with more severe symptoms had worse QoL and a higher risk of PTSD. The burn accident affected not only the injured individuals but also their entire families. In order to help injured individuals reintegrate into society and maintain better overall health, our study suggested providing family-based healthcare plans and necessary follow-up visits in a timely manner.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007902 Length of Stay The period of confinement of a patient to a hospital or other health facility. Hospital Stay,Hospital Stays,Stay Length,Stay Lengths,Stay, Hospital,Stays, Hospital
D008297 Male Males
D010146 Pain An unpleasant sensation induced by noxious stimuli which are detected by NERVE ENDINGS of NOCICEPTIVE NEURONS. Suffering, Physical,Ache,Pain, Burning,Pain, Crushing,Pain, Migratory,Pain, Radiating,Pain, Splitting,Aches,Burning Pain,Burning Pains,Crushing Pain,Crushing Pains,Migratory Pain,Migratory Pains,Pains, Burning,Pains, Crushing,Pains, Migratory,Pains, Radiating,Pains, Splitting,Physical Suffering,Physical Sufferings,Radiating Pain,Radiating Pains,Splitting Pain,Splitting Pains,Sufferings, Physical
D011537 Pruritus An intense itching sensation that produces the urge to rub or scratch the skin to obtain relief. Itching,Pruritis
D011788 Quality of Life A generic concept reflecting concern with the modification and enhancement of life attributes, e.g., physical, political, moral, social environment as well as health and disease. HRQOL,Health-Related Quality Of Life,Life Quality,Health Related Quality Of Life
D001828 Body Image Individuals' concept of their own bodies. Body Identity,Body Representation,Body Schema,Body Images,Body Representations,Body Schemas,Identity, Body,Image, Body,Representation, Body,Schema, Body
D002056 Burns Injuries to tissues caused by contact with heat, steam, chemicals (BURNS, CHEMICAL), electricity (BURNS, ELECTRIC), or the like. Burn
D004651 Employment The state of being engaged in an activity or service for wages or salary. Employment Termination,Employment Status,Labor Force,Occupational Status,Status, Occupational,Underemployment,Labor Forces,Status, Employment,Termination, Employment
D005107 Explosions Sudden, violent, and often destructive expansion of gases which propagates energy outward, such as a shock wave, ejecting fragments and debris at high velocities. Explosion
D005151 Facial Injuries General or unspecified injuries to the soft tissue or bony portions of the face. Injuries, Facial,Facial Injury,Injury, Facial

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