Wounddressingscanhaveaprofoundinfluenceonhealing,
makingthemanessentialpartofwoundmanagement(Atiyeh
etal,2002).Theoutcomeoftheburncanbesignificantly
influencedbythechoiceofdressing.
Whenselectingthemostappropriatedressingthefollowing
factorsshouldbetakenintoaccount:
■Burndepth
■Burnsite
■BurnTBSA
■Type of first aid (use of unclean water may increase
infectionrisk)
■Causeofburn
■Anycomorbiditiesthatmayinfluencedressingchoice
■Patient’sabilitytomanage/toleratedressing
■Healthprofessionals’abilitytomanagedressings
■Functionalimpactofdressing
■Associatedpain(andcontrolofpain)
■Cost.(Kavanaghetal,2004)