Management Guidelines for People with Burn Injury

Management Guidelines for People with Burn Injury - PDF
File size (913Kb)
Published 1996

NSW Health released the NSW goals and targets for prevention and management of injury in August 1995. Burns are one of the priority targets and NSW Health is responsible for improvements in prevention and management. As part of this responsibility the Centre for Clinical Policy and Practice in the Public Health Division has been working with a group of burn care experts to develop guidelines for the management of people with burn injury.

Management Guidelines for People with Burn Injury have been developed to provide simple, practical advice for the management of people who have a burn injury, especially those that don't require transfer to a specialist burns unit.

Separate guidelines, Transfer Guidelines for People with Burn Injury, (July 1996) regarding the acute management and transfer of patients with severe burn injuries have also been developed. Both sets of guidelines include criteria for the referral of patients to specialist burns units. These consensus guidelines have been compiled by a group of experts working in major burns units. Consensus statements are necessary as there is little consistent or strong evidence in the literature regarding the management of less severe burns. They represent the recommendations of the expert group based on the best knowledge available at the time of compilation.

Throughout the document, recommendations have been made regarding when a burns unit should be consulted. However, users of these guidelines are encouraged to consult specialists at the burns units for advice and assistance at any stage, particularly if there is some doubt about the appropriate course of action.

If you have any problems downloading this document, consult our help page or contact the Better Health Centre Publications Warehouse to obtain a printed copy.