Assessing and managing burn injuries
"For best patient outcomes partial-thickness burns should be properly managed in non-specialist centres, with referrals to burns units being reserved for appropriate cases.
...However, the identification of appropriate referrals can sometimes be problematic, and the clinical management of partial-thickness burns by non-specialists can have variable results."1
There is some agreement on the management of superficial burns and full-thickness burns, but partial-thickness burns, and in particular those of mixed depth, present a greater challenge in defining the optimal treatment.2
The healthcare professional who is not a burn specialist needs to be able to:
- Assess the injury
- Provide rapid and optimum management of the burn
- Identify appropriate cases for referral to specialist burns units
References [+]
- Alsbjorn B, Gilbert P, Hartmann B, et al. Guidelines for the management of partial-thickness burns in a general hospital or community setting--recommendations of a European working party. Burns. 2007;33(2):155-160.
- Caruso DM, Foster KN, Hermans MH, Rick C. Aquacel Ag in the management of partial-thickness burns: results of a clinical trial. J Burn Care Rehabil. 2004;25(1):89-97.