Severe burns are one of the most complex forms of traumatic injury, and people with burn injuries often require long-term rehabilitation. Survivors of a burn injury may have a wide range of physical and psychosocial problems that can affect their quality of life. The Burn Model System program began in 1994, with funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
The BMS program conducts research to improve care and outcomes for people with burn injuries. The BMS includes four clinical centers that provide a coordinated and multidisciplinary system of rehabilitation care, including emergency medical, acute medical, post-acute, and long-term follow-up services. Each of these four centers conducts research and contributes data to the BMS National database. The BMS National Data and Statistical Center manages the data collected by the four centers, and provides training, technical assistance, and administrative support to the BMS Centers.
Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System (BH-BIMS), Boston, MA
North Texas Burn Rehabilitation Model System, Dallas, TX
Northwest Regional Burn Model System, Seattle, WA
Southern California Burn Model System, Los Angeles, CA
Past centers included The Johns Hopkins University Burn Model System (collected data from 1997-2012), University of Colorado Denver National Data and Statistical Center, and University of Colorado Denver Burn Model System (collected data from 1994-1997). The University of Texas Medical Branch/Shriners Hospital Pediatric Burn Model System in Galveston, TX is currently a no-cost extension BMS Center.
The BMS has developed procedures that apply to data collection, entry, use and reporting to ensure that operations and data are consistent across centers. To learn more, click here.
The BMS has developed data collection forms for collecting hospital information and long-term outcomes from burn survivors. All forms can be accessed by clicking here. Spanish forms can be accessed by clicking here.
Guidance on using the BMS data collection forms can be found by clicking here.
The BMS program disseminates evidence-based information to patients, family members, health care providers, educators, policymakers, and the general public. The BMS Centers provide information in many ways: peer-reviewed publications, presentations at national professional meetings, fact sheets about different aspects of living with a burn injury, newsletters for patients on BMS research and center events, outreach satellite clinics for patients living in rural areas, and peer-support groups. The BMS program also collaborates with the NIDILRR-funded Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center to promote the adoption of research findings by rehabilitation professionals, policymakers, and persons with burn injuries and their family members. Visit the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center's website for BMS products, research publications, and videos, podcasts, and fact-sheets.