Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
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Burns amongst children in South Africa are common and usually occur in the immediate home environment. In surveys many parents have requested ongoing educational burn prevention programs. This exploratory thematic parent orientation study assessed the level of parental knowledge on burn prevention strategies in the home. ⋯ Our findings show that people living in environments optimal for burn incidents know relatively little about burn prevention strategies. Future intervention needs to not only target the population's behavior but most importantly needs to promote better education models.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of outpatient care on activities at the Adults' Regional Burns Centre and the Children's Regional Burns Unit, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust UK, where outpatient and inpatient responsibilities are shared between the nursing staff. Data for all inpatient and outpatient interactions (all care related activities with the presence of a Registered Nurse (RN)) was collected prospectively by the attending RN for two consecutive months (October and November 2014). We also retrospectively collected data related to daily RN staffing levels, and Centre/Unit admissions and discharges. ⋯ Considering this burden and collating it with daily RN staffing levels, we highlighted an understaffing in 42.6% (26/61) of the days for the Adult Regional Burn Centre and in 100% (61/61) of the days and nights for the Children Regional Burn Unit. The impact of outpatients on the activities of a Burns Centre/Unit is a factor that should be taken into account when evaluating staffing needs and planning services. This is a variable not currently considered in any guideline for safe staffing.
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Multicenter Study
Modifiable risk factors for scald injury in children under 5 years of age: A Multi-centre Case-Control Study.
To determine the relationship between a range of modifiable risk factors and medically attended scalds in children under the age of 5 years. ⋯ Some scald injuries may be prevented by parents keeping hot drinks out of reach of children and by teaching children rules about not climbing on objects in the kitchen, what to do or not do whilst parents are cooking using the top of the cooker and about hot objects in the kitchen. Further studies, providing a more sophisticated exploration of the immediate antecedents of scalds are required to quantify associations between other hazards and behaviours and scalds in young children.
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Fatigue has been identified as an outcome of concern following burn but is rarely captured in outcomes studies. We aimed to: (i) describe the prevalence, and predictors, of moderate to severe fatigue in the first 12 months following burn, and (ii) establish the association between fatigue and health-related quality of life and work outcomes. ⋯ More than a quarter of participants reported moderate to severe fatigue on the BFI at 12-months and fatigue was strongly associated with poorer health-related quality of life and greater work-related disability.
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Although burn patients with preexisting mood disorders have been shown to have diminished clinical recovery, acute mental disorders (AMD) are often unrecognized despite a link with post-traumatic stress disorder and social maladjustment later on. This study assessed the clinical profile of a large cohort of burn patients who developed AMD compared to those with chronic mental illness (CMI) and those without mental health problems to assess the impact of AMI on burn outcomes. ⋯ The development of AMD in burn patients is associated with poor clinical outcomes including longer hospitalization, decreased survival, and increased complication rates. Premorbid psychopathology, substance abuse and age were associated with a higher incidence AMD after burn than was the severity of the burn wound itself. Routine screening for psychological symptoms of AMD should be performed in all burn patients to avoid increased rates of short and long-term morbidity and mortality.