Integrated Case Management for Burns Care in Pakistan

To test whether a culturally adapted multicomponent intervention for improving burns care and patient/family rehabilitation is effective in improving survival among burn victims in Pakistan and is cost-effective. The comparator will be usual care plus brief written self-help advice (enhanced usual care). The study is designed as a multicentre, pragmatic, parallel group, individually randomised trial. Participants in the intervention arm will receive 8 sessions delivered by the case managers (6 low-intensity sessions lasting 30-60 minutes in the hospital/community and 2 follow-up sessions lasting 30 minutes in the community). Assessments will be conducted at baseline, at 3 months, 6 months and at 12-months post-intervention.

The Burns trial will be conducted in six cities of Pakistan; Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Quetta to compare integrated intervention with enhanced usual care. Participants will be randomized either to the intervention or enhanced usual care. The intervention consists of multiple culturally adapted components such as psychological bundle, emergency care, surgical and rehab bundle to improve care within burn units, transitional care, and patient and family rehabilitation (known as 'Integrated case management for improved psychosocial and physical rehabilitation of burn survivors and their families'). The comparator will be usual care (emergency, surgical and rehab care ) plus brief written self-help booklets will be given(enhanced usual care). The intervention will be carried out by case managers (trained allied health professionals such as nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists etc) and will be started during hospital stay to enhance physical health outcomes by educating patients about self-care/ medications and adherence to treatment resources provided to the case managers and upon discharge to the participants and their carers. Participants in the intervention arm will receive 8 sessions delivered by the case managers (6 low-intensity sessions lasting 30-60 minutes in the hospital/community and 2 follow-up sessions lasting 30 minutes in the community). Assessments will be conducted at baseline, at 3 months, 6 months and at 12-months post-intervention.