Burn Management

Professional Standards

Professional standards for burn management are established by the relevant certification body and regulatory agencies. Certified professionals must demonstrate competency through examination and maintain credentials through continuing education. Scope of practice is defined by state law and facility policy. Never perform tasks outside your authorized scope.

Related Procedures

Procedures related to burn management in the EMS setting:

1. Sepsis recognition: qSOFA of 2 or more (altered mentation, RR 22+, SBP 100 or less) then IV fluids 20 mL/kg then early antibiotics if ALS
2. STEMI protocol: 12-lead ECG within 10 min then aspirin 324mg then NTG if SBP >90 then notify cath lab then transport code 3

Differential Diagnosis

When assessing burn management, use structured assessment tools to differentiate between possible causes:

Glasgow Coma Scale: Components: Eye opening (1-4), Verbal response (1-5), Motor response (1-6). Scoring: 3-15, 8 or less = severe, 9-12 = moderate, 13-15 = mild.

OPQRST: Components: Onset, Provocation, Quality, Radiation, Severity, Time. Scoring: Pain assessment mnemonic.

Common Errors

Critical errors in prehospital application of burn management:

• Failing to reassess after intervention. Vital signs must be rechecked every 5 minutes for unstable patients
• Incorrect medication dosing. Always use length-based estimation (Broselow tape) for pediatric patients
• Tunnel vision on one finding while missing the complete clinical picture
• Not communicating changes to receiving facility during transport