School reintegration of pediatric burn survivors: An integrative literature review

Abstract

Background The school is an essential context for children’s social interaction with peers and to develop academic skills. Therefore, a fast reintegration can help children with burns to normalize their life. Thus, school reintegration is an important outcome after burns. The aim of this review was to systematically synthesize the literature addressing school reintegration programs of pediatric burns survivors. Methods Five electronic databases were searched independently by two reviewers. The search yielded 13 eligible publications. A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Results The two themes identified centered around (1) the roles, obstacles, and support for the different stakeholders (i.e., the child, parents and teacher) and (2) the contents of the school reintegration programs in which subthemes such as purpose, planning, essential elements, team, and effect were distinguished. The results show that return to school should start as soon as the child is admitted to the hospital and the program should acknowledge the different stakeholders’ needs and tailor the program to these needs. Conclusion The review emphasizes the necessity of an integrated school reintegration program empowering both the child, the parents and the teachers and tailored to the child’s specific situation. Furthermore, it offers recommendations for further improvement of the field.