Global burn care and the ideal burn dressing reloaded - A survey of global experts

Sebastian P Nischwitz; Hanna Luze; Daniel Popp; Raimund Winter; Alexander Draschl; Marlies Schellnegger; Lukas Kargl; Thomas Rappl; Michael Giretzlehner; Lars-Peter Kamolz

doi:10.1016/j.burns.2021.02.008

Global burn care and the ideal burn dressing reloaded - A survey of global experts

Burns. 2021 Nov;47(7):1665-1674. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2021.02.008. Epub 2021 Feb 23.

Affiliations

¹ Division of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; COREMED - Cooperative Centre for Regenerative Medicine, JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Graz, Austria. Electronic address: Sebastian.nischwitz@joanneum.at.
² Division of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; COREMED - Cooperative Centre for Regenerative Medicine, JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Graz, Austria.
³ Division of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
⁴ Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
⁵ Department of Plastic-, Hand- and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Berufsgenossenschaftliche Unfallklinik Murnau, Murnau, Germany.
⁶ Research Unit for Medical-Informatics, RISC Software GmbH, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria.

PMID: 33838957
DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2021.02.008

Abstract

Purpose: Burn care is a highly relevant medical specialty in every part of the world. Different infrastructure, healthcare systems and access to medical supplies lead to different needs, treatment strategies and outcomes. A fundamental tool in a burn care provider's armamentarium is the use of different dressings. Several studies have investigated the question of the ideal burn dressing, but none could achieve a proper global perspective. With advanced dressings being on the rise, we conducted this study to get a global understanding of the actual use and idea of the ideal burn dressing.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the understanding of an 'ideal burn dressing' on a global scale.

Materials and methods: A questionnaire about burn care and the ideal burn dressing has been created and translated to five of the most spoken languages world-wide (English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Indonesian). It has been uploaded to an online survey platform and sent out to burn experts worldwide. The voluntary participation was possible for a period of four weeks.

Results: In total, 196 respondents from 49 countries participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 24.5%. The most important burn dressing characteristics in a cumulative ranking were (1) lack of adhesion (80.54%), (2) pain-free dressing change (79.87%), (3) requirement of fewer dressing changes, while in a linear ranking they were (1) anti-infective (35.14% 1st), pain-reduction (24.14% 2nd), and high absorbency (23.49% 3rd). Silver-based dressings are the most used dressings for superficial (45.21%) and deep (52.78%). 94.81% believe that the choice of burn dressing affects the outcome.

Conclusion: This investigation has delivered valuable insights into the global perspective of the ideal burn dressing. Yet, the question of the ideal burn dressing is still inconclusive. Wound dressing research is of fundamental interest for patients, healthcare providers and healthcare systems.

Keywords: Burn care; Expert; Global; Ideal burn dressing; Questionnaire; Survey.

MeSH terms

Anti-Infective Agents*
Bandages*
Burns* / therapy
Humans
Internationality
Surgical Wound Infection / prevention & control
Surveys and Questionnaires

Substances

Anti-Infective Agents