Rehabilitation

This process starts on the day of admission. The involvement of the whole burn team has as its ultimate goal the return of a fully functioning individual to society with unaltered appearance, abilities and potential.

The process of rehabilitation involves support groups and many health care professionals using their skills in a variety of often inventive ways to deliver care in the most effective manner for the individual. This may involve;

  • Physical therapy
  • Psychological support; for both individual and family
  • Scar modulation; often using a combination of these methods
  • Psychiatric support; often as a continuation of long term treatment

Psychological and social factors have an important influence throughout the entire course of a burn injury, on treatment, and the process of recovery. However, although this is widely acknowledged, there is at present no accepted format for providing psychological care for patients with burn injuries during their hospital-based treatment and subsequent reintegration into the community.