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29 - The burns unit

from Part III - Working with specific units

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2009

By
Jonathan I. Bisson
Edited by
Geoffrey Lloyd  and
Elspeth Guthrie
Geoffrey Lloyd
Affiliation:
Priory Hospital, London
Elspeth Guthrie
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
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Summary

Introduction

Burn trauma is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity. In 1999 192 males and 144 females died as a direct result of burn trauma in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics 2000). Frank et al. (1987) estimated that 731 000 emergency room visits and 60 900 hospital admissions occurred annually as a result of burn trauma in the USA. Wilkinson (1998) obtained data from six of the nine accident and emergency departments (AED) that served a UK population of 2.6 million. There were 3013 attendances as a result of burn trauma over a 1-year period representing 1% of the total AED workload.

It is no surprise that burn trauma can result in psychological distress. The burn trauma victim has many issues to contend with. Stressors often include the burn injury itself, pain, hospitalization, reduced functioning and permanent scarring. In addition the burn injury has often been sustained as a result of involvement in a frightening psychologically traumatic event. Individuals who sustain burn trauma also appear more likely to have pre-existing mental health difficulties than the general population (e.g. Patterson et al. 1993).

Nature and prevalence of psychiatric sequelae following burn trauma

Several authors and researchers have considered the psychological impact of burn trauma. The earliest studies were mainly descriptive in nature. Overall, the methodology employed has improved over time. The most recent studies have used well-validated measures to determine the presence of psychological sequelae although unfortunately, like the older studies, have relatively small sample sizes.

Keywords

burn traumaliaison psychiatrypsychiatristpsychological sequelaetotal body surface area
Type
Chapter
Information
Handbook of Liaison Psychiatry , pp. 697 - 713
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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