Pre-hospital Management of Pediatric Burns

 Pre-hospital Management of Pediatric Burns

Introduction
Burn injuries constitute a major cause of physical and psychosocial morbidity in children, with severe burns causing lifelong disability or death (Grisham & Deming, 2011). The source of burn injuries may be due to direct contact with flame, hot liquids and chemical-related burns. Severe burn injuries require acute care for pain management, a process that may be difficult for young patients. After checking into emergency department, burn specialists are expected to map a treatment and recovery strategy for the patient that is consistent with the health needs of the patient – addressing both short-term and long-term physical, psychological, and social needs (Matthews et al., 2016). Survivors of severe burns may have to endure lifelong physical disfigurement and disabilities (Grisham & Deming, 2011). The immediate family may also suffer trauma and psychological adjustment problem in dealing with non-fatal severe burn of a young patient. Prehospital care, acute and long-term pediatric management for pediatric burn patients is complicated because of the anatomical and physiological features of children – labor intensive and often costly