LIBRE Profile: The Next Chapter

As we continue into our next chapter, we will be transitioning from our BU home to homes at the Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System (BHBIMS) and the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, our collaborators throughout this project. We look forward to continuing to pursue new opportunities to advance the use of the LIBRE Profile among burn survivors, clinicians, and researchers. For the latest information about the LIBRE Profile and ways to stay involved, as well as resources about burn injury recovery, visit these sites:

BHBIMS:

• Website (sign up for the mailing list at the top of the page)
• Facebook
• Twitter

Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors:

• Website ( sign up for the mailing list at Phoenix Society )
• Facebook
• Twitter

We appreciate the support that the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has provided us to carry out the LIBRE Project. As we come to the end of our funding through NIDILRR, we are pleased that the LIBRE Profile will continue!

The original funding support carried us through many phases:

• Establishing a conceptual framework
• Developing items (questions)
• Field testing with 601 burn survivors
• Calibration and LIBRE Profile development, including Computerized Adaptive Test and short forms
• Assessing reliability and validity
• Developing score reports and stages

This project has increased awareness of the impact of burn injury on social participation through nine published papers, dozens of presentations nationally and internationally, videos, and countless conversations. Most importantly, this project has made a difference in the lives of burn survivors and those who care about them by creating a new tool to measure social participation and track the recovery process.

We have so many people and organizations to thank! THANK YOU to the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, the Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System, Burn Survivors of New England, BU’s AdLab and Software Application and Innovation Lab (SAIL), our clinical advisory board members, burn injury centers, clinicians, allied health professionals, researchers around the country, and, above all, to burn survivors who shared experiences, gave time and energy, and made this project possible.

 

 

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The LIBRE Profile is an innovative tool for measuring a return to life after burn injury.

Attempting to return to everyday life after a burn injury can be difficult, stressful, and emotionally challenging.  While traditional rehabilitation strategies for burn survivors focus on physical recovery, LIBRE focuses on the impact burn injuries have on social life.

LIBRE Profile is a computer-based questionnaire. The tool will be used by burn survivors and clinicians to track an individual’s burn recovery, improve rehabilitation efforts and identify areas where additional support is needed.