Overview of Burns and the Relationship to the Nursing Practice
Alison M. Hungerford
University of Toledo College of Nursing
Overview of Burns and the Relationship to the Nursing Practice
Burns are a destructive injury that nurses will encounter again and again throughout their nursing career no matter the specialty. Burns affect all ages, sexes, and skin types. Nurses must recognize that although a burn may only be present on a certain part of the body, (arm, leg, face, etc.) burns affect all body systems. Burns can lead to serious complications resulting in numerous co-morbidities and potentially even death. There are numerous types of burns and knowing what caused the burn is essential in treating the patient correctly. Burn types include: …show more content…
“The mortality rate is 8% in a 20-year-old patient with a 40% total body surface area burn and a mortality rate of 94% in a patient older than 70 with the exact same burn (Schub & Pravikoff, 2016, p. 2). Every year more than 1,200 older adults die in fire-related deaths and the burn related death rate is twice the national average for those between 65 and 75 years of age (Schub, March, Pravikoff, 2017, p. 1). Burns in older adults are much more harmful than those of a 20 year old. This is due to the fact that older adults (usually) have slower/weaker body systems. This leads to slower healing time which can result in numerous …show more content…
1).” Patients not only acquire the burn but also must endure treatment, pain, scarring, and possible disfigurement. These can all lead to anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. Not only anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, burn victims report difficulties in meeting new people, mainting intimate relationships as well as making friends (Schub, March & Pravikoff, 2017,
Alison M. Hungerford
University of Toledo College of Nursing
Overview of Burns and the Relationship to the Nursing Practice
Burns are a destructive injury that nurses will encounter again and again throughout their nursing career no matter the specialty. Burns affect all ages, sexes, and skin types. Nurses must recognize that although a burn may only be present on a certain part of the body, (arm, leg, face, etc.) burns affect all body systems. Burns can lead to serious complications resulting in numerous co-morbidities and potentially even death. There are numerous types of burns and knowing what caused the burn is essential in treating the patient correctly. Burn types include: …show more content…
“The mortality rate is 8% in a 20-year-old patient with a 40% total body surface area burn and a mortality rate of 94% in a patient older than 70 with the exact same burn (Schub & Pravikoff, 2016, p. 2). Every year more than 1,200 older adults die in fire-related deaths and the burn related death rate is twice the national average for those between 65 and 75 years of age (Schub, March, Pravikoff, 2017, p. 1). Burns in older adults are much more harmful than those of a 20 year old. This is due to the fact that older adults (usually) have slower/weaker body systems. This leads to slower healing time which can result in numerous …show more content…
1).” Patients not only acquire the burn but also must endure treatment, pain, scarring, and possible disfigurement. These can all lead to anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. Not only anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, burn victims report difficulties in meeting new people, mainting intimate relationships as well as making friends (Schub, March & Pravikoff, 2017,