{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T00:30:08Z","timestamp":1792801808270,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782172800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Burn injuries are increasingly recognized as chronic conditions with enduring physical, psychological and social consequences that extend beyond acute survival. This narrative review synthesizes and interpretatively discusses recent evidence on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adult burn survivors, focusing on recovery patterns following discharge. Persistent physical sequelae\u2014particularly chronic pain, pruritus, contractures and scarring\u2014remain major determinants of reduced HRQoL, mainly mediated by functional limitation and self-perception. Psychological morbidity is common, with high rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly early after injury, although post-traumatic growth may also emerge. Social reintegration, including return to work, is often delayed or incomplete and is influenced by injury severity, mental health status and social support. Recovery trajectories are nonlinear: the greatest improvements occur within the first six months, followed by slower gains up to 18\u201324 months, after which many patients fail to reach population norms. Pain and psychological symptoms may persist for years. Overall, these findings support a multidisciplinary, longitudinal approach to burn care, emphasizing early risk stratification and rehabilitation to optimize individualized recovery. In this narrative review, we aim to outline the main dimensions of long-term quality of life, with a particular focus on the temporal dynamics of recovery patterns.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina62071218","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T17:11:49Z","timestamp":1782234709000},"page":"1218","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Quality of Life in Burn Survivors Post-Discharge: A Narrative Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"62","author":[{"given":"Andreea","family":"Ungureanu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Bvd., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, \u2018Bagdasar-Arseni\u2019 Emergency Hospital, 12 Berceni Rd., 041915 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adriana-Nicoleta","family":"Trandafir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 Central Military Emergency Hospital, 88 Mircea Vulc\u0103nescu St., 10825 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8242-8809","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria-Cristina","family":"Marinescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Discipline of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valeria","family":"Coviltir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8167-4300","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen","family":"Giuglea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Bvd., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3151-5878","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silviu-Adrian","family":"Marinescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, \u2018Bagdasar-Arseni\u2019 Emergency Hospital, 12 Berceni Rd., 041915 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Bvd., 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e017545","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2017-017545","article-title":"Factors influencing psychological, social and health outcomes after major burn injuries in adults: Cohort study protocol","volume":"7","author":"Druery","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"788","DOI":"10.1016\/j.burns.2013.11.014","article-title":"Health related quality of life in burn patients\u2014A review of the literature","volume":"40","author":"Stavrou","year":"2014","journal-title":"Burns"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"779","DOI":"10.26574\/maedica.2025.20.4.779","article-title":"Short-Term Outcomes of Burn Patients: A Tertiary Hospital\u2019s Four-Year Experience","volume":"20","author":"Ungureanu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Maedica"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"833","DOI":"10.1097\/SLA.0000000000000438","article-title":"Benchmarking outcomes in the critically injured burn patient","volume":"259","author":"Klein","year":"2014","journal-title":"Ann. 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