A clarion to recommit and reaffirm burn rehabilitation.
Burn rehabilitation has been a part of burn care and treatment for many years. Yet, despite of its longevity, the rehabilitation outcome of patients with severe burns is less than optimal and appears to have leveled off. Patient survival from burn injury is at an all-time high. Burn rehabilitation must progress to the point where physical outcomes parallel survival statistics in terms of improved patient well-being. This position article is a treatise on burn rehabilitation and the state of burn rehabilitation patient outcomes. It describes burn rehabilitation interventions in brief and why a need is felt to bring this issue to the forefront. The article discusses areas for change and the challenges facing burn rehabilitation. Finally, the relegation and acceptance of this responsibility are addressed.
Richard
Reginald L
RL
Burn Rehabilitation Department, Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, USA.
Hedman
Travis L
TL
Quick
Charles D
CD
Barillo
David J
DJ
Cancio
Leopoldo C
LC
Renz
Evan M
EM
Chapman
Ted T
TT
Dewey
William S
WS
Dougherty
Mary E
ME
Esselman
Peter C
PC
Forbes-Duchart
Lisa
L
Franzen
Beth J
BJ
Hunter
Hope
H
Kowalske
Karen
K
Moore
Merilyn L
ML
Nakamura
Dana Y
DY
Nedelec
Bernedette
B
Niszczak
Jon
J
Parry
Ingrid
I
Serghiou
Michael
M
Ward
R Scott
RS
Holcomb
John B
JB
Wolf
Steven E
SE
D002056:Burns / Q000401:mortality / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology