Burns are a leading cause of pediatric emergency department visits, according to a study in Pediatrics. Several hospitals across the country address the unique needs of these patients in dedicated centers. Combining specialized treatment with follow-up care and community engagement, such centers "should be looked at as a potential win for everybody"— hospitals, patients and communities, says Peter Grossman, MD, medical director of The Grossman Burn Center at St. Luke's Medical Center in Phoenix.
Here, three prominent centers share essential elements of their success.
1. A dedicated, multidisciplinary team. A burn center needs a "specialized team dedicated to the care of a burn patient," says Dr. Grossman. Physicians and nurses working in the unit needs to have knowledge of functionality of the skin, when a burn patient needs to go to the operating room, and other specialized topics, he says.
The team should also extend beyond physicians and nurses. "Every center needs a truly interdisciplinary team," says Janise Sanders, clinical educator at Arkansas Children's Hospital Burn Center in Little Rock, where the team includes social workers, child psychologists and rehabilitation therapists to provide complete care from the initial burn through rehabilitation.
Susan Ziegfeld, the pediatric burn program manager at The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, credits the center's success to its multidisciplinary, dedicated team. "This is not an easy population to care for," she acknowledges, but says "everyone on the team has embraced taking care of these patients," and have seen very positive outcomes.
2. Toys and distractions. When Shara Darden's three-year-old daughter was treated at Johns Hopkins Pediatric Burn Center, the small girl was distracted by two nurses "with bubbles, glittery wands, toys, books and dolls," says Ms. Darden, while the wound was cleaned and treated. "I was amazed at how wonderful they were. Amazed!" she says.
Johns Hopkins' Ms. Ziegfeld explained these toys and distractions are part of the specialized treatment provided at the center. The toys help ease the discomfort of treatment, and help provide the most positive experience for the child. "Even though you are performing a difficult procedure, in the end you still get hugs" says Ms. Ziegfeld.
3. A focus on the family. Ms. Darden recalls that the staff at Johns Hopkins was not just there to care for her daughter. "There was a child psychologist who talked to me and my mom the whole time to understand how Sophia was coping with the injury and to give us some great tips on coaching her through the recovery and treatment. She may have
also had the job of distracting me from the crying and screaming during the
wound cleaning," she says. "It may not be enough to say that I was blown away."
Arkansas Children's also focuses on "family-centered wound care," says Ms. Sanders, providing counseling and education for families prior to discharge. "Families feel much more comfortable at home when they know how to care for their child's wound," she says.
4. Continuing support and scar treatment. "Burn care does not stop once the patient leaves the hospital," says Dr. Grossman. Since scarring happens after the patient is discharged, at the Grossman Burn Center, plastic surgeons are with the patient throughout the entire treatment and healing process to help minimize scarring. "You need to be aggressive with the scarring and follow through with the patient" to get the best outcome, says Dr. Grossman.
In addition to scar treatment, child life specialists are part of the continuing support services provided at both Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Arkansas Children's. Ms. Sanders explains that a specialist will help the child and parents through the treatment process, and are available to help with re-entry into school by "helping other students realize the child is not really different," she says.
Arkansas Children's also sponsors a camp where pediatric burn survivors can socialize and find a sense of camaraderie. At Camp Sunshine, patients "get to see friends without being worried about scars showing… camp is irreplaceable for these kids," says Ms. Sanders.
5. Prevention programs. "We'd love to put ourselves out of business," says Ms. Ziegfeld, speaking about Johns Hopkins Pediatric Burn Program community engagement efforts. The center has a strong focus on prevention, partnering with local elementary schools and community events to hold demonstrations on fire safety and burn prevention. Nurses and a newly-hired injury prevention specialist teach children how to avoid household burns, and strategies for what to do if you sustain a burn. The programs are both successful in educating children about burns and have been well-received throughout the community, says Ms. Ziegfeld.
"We always get invited back," she says.
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Here, three prominent centers share essential elements of their success.
1. A dedicated, multidisciplinary team. A burn center needs a "specialized team dedicated to the care of a burn patient," says Dr. Grossman. Physicians and nurses working in the unit needs to have knowledge of functionality of the skin, when a burn patient needs to go to the operating room, and other specialized topics, he says.
The team should also extend beyond physicians and nurses. "Every center needs a truly interdisciplinary team," says Janise Sanders, clinical educator at Arkansas Children's Hospital Burn Center in Little Rock, where the team includes social workers, child psychologists and rehabilitation therapists to provide complete care from the initial burn through rehabilitation.
Susan Ziegfeld, the pediatric burn program manager at The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, credits the center's success to its multidisciplinary, dedicated team. "This is not an easy population to care for," she acknowledges, but says "everyone on the team has embraced taking care of these patients," and have seen very positive outcomes.
2. Toys and distractions. When Shara Darden's three-year-old daughter was treated at Johns Hopkins Pediatric Burn Center, the small girl was distracted by two nurses "with bubbles, glittery wands, toys, books and dolls," says Ms. Darden, while the wound was cleaned and treated. "I was amazed at how wonderful they were. Amazed!" she says.
Johns Hopkins' Ms. Ziegfeld explained these toys and distractions are part of the specialized treatment provided at the center. The toys help ease the discomfort of treatment, and help provide the most positive experience for the child. "Even though you are performing a difficult procedure, in the end you still get hugs" says Ms. Ziegfeld.
3. A focus on the family. Ms. Darden recalls that the staff at Johns Hopkins was not just there to care for her daughter. "There was a child psychologist who talked to me and my mom the whole time to understand how Sophia was coping with the injury and to give us some great tips on coaching her through the recovery and treatment. She may have
also had the job of distracting me from the crying and screaming during the
wound cleaning," she says. "It may not be enough to say that I was blown away."
Arkansas Children's also focuses on "family-centered wound care," says Ms. Sanders, providing counseling and education for families prior to discharge. "Families feel much more comfortable at home when they know how to care for their child's wound," she says.
4. Continuing support and scar treatment. "Burn care does not stop once the patient leaves the hospital," says Dr. Grossman. Since scarring happens after the patient is discharged, at the Grossman Burn Center, plastic surgeons are with the patient throughout the entire treatment and healing process to help minimize scarring. "You need to be aggressive with the scarring and follow through with the patient" to get the best outcome, says Dr. Grossman.
In addition to scar treatment, child life specialists are part of the continuing support services provided at both Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Arkansas Children's. Ms. Sanders explains that a specialist will help the child and parents through the treatment process, and are available to help with re-entry into school by "helping other students realize the child is not really different," she says.
Arkansas Children's also sponsors a camp where pediatric burn survivors can socialize and find a sense of camaraderie. At Camp Sunshine, patients "get to see friends without being worried about scars showing… camp is irreplaceable for these kids," says Ms. Sanders.
5. Prevention programs. "We'd love to put ourselves out of business," says Ms. Ziegfeld, speaking about Johns Hopkins Pediatric Burn Program community engagement efforts. The center has a strong focus on prevention, partnering with local elementary schools and community events to hold demonstrations on fire safety and burn prevention. Nurses and a newly-hired injury prevention specialist teach children how to avoid household burns, and strategies for what to do if you sustain a burn. The programs are both successful in educating children about burns and have been well-received throughout the community, says Ms. Ziegfeld.
"We always get invited back," she says.