4 minute read

BURN AWARENESS

Next Article
SKINCARE

SKINCARE

A burning ISSUE

During winter, the number of burn patients is at its highest, say health experts. Levi Letsoko fi nds out why

health systems around the country are bracing for a spike in accidental burn cases. Sister Renè Lessing, clinical director at Haute Care, notes that reported burn injuries escalate around winter every year and a disturbing number involves children.

Public hospitals are usually the first point of treatment for most patients. Most lower-income communities do not have medical insurance, so they rely primarily on the public health system. Requests for assistance at public hospitals are higher because of their broader mandate of serving their local communities.

“All health systems are doing the best they can with what they have, given the unprecedented circumstances that the pandemic has placed not only on our country, but also globally,” says Lessing.

“We have excellent public burns units, but there will never be enough. A consistent approach across all levels of healthcare providers, the optimisation of initial care and the facilitation of appropriate referrals remains a challenge,” she adds. Sister Renè Lessing

MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH NEEDED

Dr Yashica Khalawan, a specialist in skin treatments and aesthetic medicine, says deploying a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals can improve response measures to burn cases even when resources are highly constrained. “Access to resources and the improvement

Dr Yashica Khalawan of infrastructure can be challenging. The development of dedicated burn services refines the process of care without the need for increased resources,”says Khalawan.

Equally important to treating the physical wounds is the need to attend to the psychological impact of such injuries. Khalawan is impressed with the survival rate of burn victims, but she emphasises the need to address their emotional wounds.

“A psychologist is an important member of the multidisciplinary team and can assist patients in adjusting to their hospitalisation. Long-term rehabilitation includes dealing with loss, grief, acceptance of body image and self-image,” she says.

“Psychologists also address conditions such as delirium, acute stress disorder, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric disorders that could result from the incident,” Khalawan adds.

Lessing lauds the work done by organisations such as the Hero Burn Foundation, Skin Donation, Medika SA and various other nonprofit organisations in raising awareness around safety.

“I believe that every household should be encouraged to have a burn kit. Accidents happen fast. Education is vital,” she concludes.

BURN INJURIES – THE WHY, HOW AND WHAT

WHY and HOW do burn injuries occur?

There are many reasons why and how burn injuries happen, especially during winter, says Sister Renè Lessing, clinical director at Haute Care. • People suffering from diabetes experience loss of feeling in their feet and often can’t gauge the heat generated by hot water bottles, heaters and even bath water. This can result in burn wounds on the feet. • Small children pulling kettle cords while the water is boiling or grabbing hot cups from a countertop frequently results in boiling or very hot water poured over them. • In informal settlements, residents often light fires because they have no access to electricity. Fires can turn into a blaze quickly resulting in burn injuries. • Other causes of burns result from occupation-related incidents in workplaces such as factories that use flammable chemicals or restaurants that use hot oil.

What you must NEVER do:

There are so many myths about how to treat burns, but the truth is that many of those can cause further damage. Never apply ice, butter, toothpaste, ice water or egg white. These can introduce even more bacteria or even increase the damage already done.

What you SHOULD do:

• Rinse the wound with running cool tap water (or use cool clean water from a container) for at least 20 minutes. This will cool down the wound and assist with the pain. • Then lightly cover the wound with either an emergency-type dressing or a petroleum jelly gauze dressing. • The important rule is to keep it clean and minimise pain. Remember that a burn patient needs medical help, so it is advisable to seek professional medical assistance as soon as possible.

This article is from: