Burn Basics
Most common cause of burns in children under 5
What are scalds?
What is one common emotional reaction patients may experience after a burn injury?
Depression/ Anxiety / guilt/ anger
These custom-made devices are worn over healed burn areas to reduce hypertrophic scarring.
What are pressure garments?
Instead of buying an expensive adaptive cup holders, OTs and other therapies staff may recommend using this common child's item to help clients with weak grip strength and functionality.
What is a sippy cup or travel mug
A 29-year-old man who survived a workplace burn injury feels fatigued balancing wound care, scar massage, and daily work tasks. His OT/PT works with him on scheduling rest breaks and prioritizing meaningful activities. These strategies support fatigue management and activity completion.
What is energy conservation and activity pacing?
This is the reason that popping burn blisters is not recommended
What is the fluid in the blister contains healing properties which helps the raw skin at the base of the blister heal.
Name one strategy occupational therapists (and any rehab staff!) can use to support a client with self-esteem or body image concerns after burns.
Graded exposure to social settings, mirror therapy, self-care retraining, or connecting with peer support groups, active listening and validate.
This simple piece of equipment helps prevent contractures in the hand by maintaining fingers in a functional position.
What is a hand splint
A simple item that can be used as a built-up handle for pens, toothbrushes, or utensil.
What is foam tubing
What is pipecleaner
A 28-year-old man avoids mirrors and refuses to see friends after sustaining facial burns. What psychosocial issue is he likely experiencing?
Body image disturbance or social anxiety.
This population is at highest risk for workplace burns
Who are industrial workers?
This mental health condition often co-occurs with burn injuries and is often not well understood by the individual who experienced the burn injury. It consists of intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and nightmares about the traumatic event.
What is PTSD
-Having a simple conversation with clients about how a burn injury experience can have a significant impact on mental health can provide the client with valuable insight into how they are processing the burn event.
To help manage itching and dryness in healed burn areas, rehab services might recommend these items, is also commonly used to reduce the visibility of scars.
What is silicone gel sheets.
-lotion as well
For scar desentsitization, therapy workers may recommend a "sensory kit" made from these inexpensive household items of different textures
What are:
sponges
Washclothes
rice
Velcro
Sandpaper
Daily Double
Dinosaurs went extinct approximately 66 million years ago. This flying dinosaur was thought to have an extra level of resilient skin as they were able to fly so high that they were likely exposed to burn-like sensitizations due to the unstable atmosphere.
This animal was....
Now spell it
This system is used to estimate burn size in adults
What is the Rule of Nines?
The Rule of Nines is a method used to quickly estimate the percentage of a person's body surface area (BSA) that has been burned. This is crucial for determining the severity of the burn and guiding treatment
True or False: The severity of visible scarring always predicts the level of psychological distress a burn survivor will experience
What is false
Some people with severe scars adjust well if they have strong coping skills and social support. Distress depends more on individual factors (like personality, coping strategies, trauma history, and social environment) than on scar severity alone.
This simple tool can be used to reduce by clients for scar management at home to reduce adhesions and improve mobility.
What is a massage roller
-Increases sensory input to area allowing for more proprioceptive movement
PT/OTs sometimes use this type of inexpensive elastic material, sold in pharmacies, as a temporary compression aid before custom garments arrive.
What is tensor bandage or Tubigrip
A 28-year-old factory worker suffers a deep partial-thickness burn on his forearm. In the acute care unit, the burn team takes a small portion of his healthy skin, processes it in an enzyme solution, and sprays it over the burn site to promote faster, more effective healing.
What is spray on skin
It involves taking a small sample of the patient’s own healthy skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts), processing them into a cell suspension, and then spraying this mixture directly onto the burn wound.
Burn severity is influenced by burn depth, size, and this factor
What is patient age / comorbidities?
Occupational therapists can perform this type of therapy with burn victims how are experiencing anxiety about reintegrating back into previous activities or starting new ones
Exposure therapy
Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy to treat anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy involves exposing the patient to the anxiety source or its context. Doing so is thought to help them overcome their anxiety or distress.
Although usually implemented by speech language pathologists, OTs and PTs can use this assistive technology to support communication when hand function is severely restricted from a burn (and other conditions that impair hand function).
What is voice-activated devices.
Instead of buying expensive therapy putty for hand exercises after a burn, survivors can make their own version at home using these two common kitchen ingredients.
What is water and flour
What is cornstarch and conditioner
A survivor wants to continue meal prep independently but has reduced grip strength and wrist mobility. The OT suggests using this combination of everyday items for strength and dexterity while practicing cooking tasks safely.
-What is soup cans for wrist curls,
- rice-filled balloons for grip exercises,
-and silicone mats for safe surface stabilization?