ABSTRACT
Chapter overview 463 Pathophysiology of a burn injury 465 First aid 465 Assessment 465 Assessing the extent of the burn injury 469 History-taking 471 Principles of management 472
Fluid management 473 The multifaceted nature of burn injury 474 Wound care: surgical/non-surgical 476 Prevention of infection and other associated 479
complications Rehabilitation and after-burn care 479 References 480
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this chapter, the reader should be able to accomplish the following: 1 Gain an insight into the care of a child/family
with a burn injury 2 Identify when fluid resuscitation is required and
know how to calculate fluid requirements 3 Understand when and why referral to a specialist
burns service is necessary 4 Gain an overview of the multidisciplinary nature
of burn care 5 Provide rationales for the care of the burn wound
and choice of dressings used 6 Understand the complications associated with
burn injury and how they might be prevented
initial burn. This can sometimes go unnoticed, as often problems arise after the child has been discharged from hospital. It is an important nursing skill to be able to provide and facilitate holistic care for the burn-injured child and their family, ensuring that all their needs are being met.
