title: The pain and stress of wound treatment in patients with burns: an international burn specialist perspective.
abstract: This study aimed to explore the views of burn specialists on the importance of reducing stress and pain during wound treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Burns specialists were invited to complete an online survey, consisting of 10 questions about pain and stress in their patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 141 respondents from 39 countries. Most were European (54.9%), and the majority were surgeons (71.8%). Pain-free and stress-free dressing changes were viewed as important overall ('very important:' 47.5% and 40.8%, respectively), although, in both cases, 11.3% did not view either to be important. Respondents identified 7 benefits of simple, pain-free dressing removal, although the focus was on clinical advantages rather than being patient-centered. Although most acknowledged that pain is linked with stress, disagreement levels ranged from 21.9% to 25.3%. Additionally, only 22.5% agreed that stress is related to wound healing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In general, burn specialists recognized that pain can lead to stress and that it is important to reduce stress and pain at dressing changes. Most also acknowledged that stress can affect wound healing. However, these results suggest a need for research to further explore perceptions about pain and stress, and how these perceptions can impact wound management regimes.
authors: Institute of Health and Society, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK; email:d.upton@worc.ac.uk.
authors: Dominic
authors: D
authors: Upton
authors: Institute of Health and Society, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Morgan
authors: Institute of Health and Society, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK.
authors: Abbye
authors: A
authors: Andrews
authors: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors: David B
authors: DB
authors: Lumenta
authors: Research Unit for Medical-Informatics, RISC Software GmbH, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria;
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Giretzlehner
authors: Section of Plastic, Aesthetic, and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, State Hospital Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
authors: Lars P
authors: LP
authors: Kamolz