Guidelines for the management of partial-thickness burns in a general hospital or community setting—Recommendations of a European working party

Abstract Most partial-thickness burns in Europe and the United States are managed by non-burns specialists who do not treat burns on a regular basis. To achieve better patient outcomes, partial-thickness burns should be properly managed in non-specialist centres and referred to burn units when appro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBurns Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 155 - 160
Main Authors Alsbjörn, Bjarne, Gilbert, Philip, Hartmann, Bernd, Kaźmierski, Marcin, Monstrey, Stan, Palao, Ricard, Roberto, Maria Angelica, Van Trier, Antoine, Voinchet, Véronique
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2007
Subjects
Algorithms
Bandages
Burn specialists
Burn Units - utilization
Burns - therapy
Community Health Services
Consensus
Critical Care
Europe
Guidelines
Hospitalization
Hospitals, General
Humans
Non-burn specialists
Partial-thickness burns
Referral and Consultation
Wound Healing
Europe
Burn specialists
Non-burn specialists
Partial-thickness burns
Guidelines
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Summary:Abstract Most partial-thickness burns in Europe and the United States are managed by non-burns specialists who do not treat burns on a regular basis. To achieve better patient outcomes, partial-thickness burns should be properly managed in non-specialist centres and referred to burn units when appropriate. Although some guidelines have been published to assist non-specialists, few have attempted to provide a comprehensive step-by-step guidance emphasising wound-healing principles. A working party of European burn specialists devised a new treatment algorithm to provide clear and current guidance on the management of partial-thickness burns in the general hospital and community setting. Four areas were identified for improvement: diagnosis and referral, wound preparation, wound covering and post-wound care. The guidelines take into account the role of wound dressings, infection and general patient well-being, bearing in mind the different working environments that occur across Europe. They are aimed at improving the overall outcome for community-treated patients within the expanding European Union and reducing the number of preventable late referrals to specialists.
ISSN:0305-4179
1879-1409
DOI:10.1016/j.burns.2006.07.025