427 The Phenomenon of Community Reintegration for Veterans with Burn Injury: Supportive Communities and Future-Oriented Thinking

Abstract Introduction Recent combat missions in the Middle East have resulted in the deployment of over 2.6 million US troops. Of these, approximately 52,000 were wounded in action; 5,851 were killed in action; and after evacuation 1000 more died. Improvised explosive devices caused the majority of injuries that affected multiple body systems and included burn injury for 10% of casualties. Despite the lethality of the injuries, over 90% survived. This has resulted in large numbers of disabled Veterans unable to return to military service; instead returning to a Civilian community that may not be prepared to meet the needs of the severely wounded Veteran. The long-term final goal for this population is community reintegration. Methods Using a mixed-methods approach, we asked Veterans with combat burns the question “What was your experience reintegrating into the Civilian community?” The Community Reintegration of Injured Service Members (CRIS) tool was administered to measure the current level of reintegration. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed to determine saturation and confirm results. Results Six Veterans with combat burns identified 2 themes that explained their experience: supportive communities (SC) and future-oriented thinking (FT). A SC is one that provides long-term burn/injury care; is Veteran specific; is financially beneficial; and supports hobbies, education, and work opportunities. FT is composed of experiencing a turning point in recovery, desire to serve others, new meaning in life, and posttraumatic growth. The CRIS tool was highly reliable (151 items; alpha = 0.97). Conclusions Community reintegration can be described as both a process and an outcome that can be measured. Both extrinsic (SC) and intrinsic (FT) factors impact Veteran reintegration. Most importantly, despite limitations, Veterans with burn injury identified high levels of satisfaction with their level of reintegration according to the CRIS tool. Applicability of Research to Practice The CRIS tool is useful in measuring reintegration and may provide clinicians insight into areas of need. Veterans who have a supportive community and are future-oriented thinkers may have more successful community reintegration.