Give burn survivors access to rehabilitation

Every year, millions of people around the world suffer burns and scald injuries, many of which could have been avoided.

Burns are often dismissed as a "personal accident," but in fact they are a "global health issue." Burns do not only occur in certain countries or specific groups of people, but can occur anywhere, at any time, and to anyone. Every year, millions of people suffer from burns in Taiwan and around the world. This includes not only industrial or household accidents, but even some basic daily behaviors can cause serious burns and scalds: hot soup placed on an unstable table, gas stove that was not turned off properly, an electrical extension cord that is overloaded...

Burns have a huge impact on a person's life. However, depending on where in the world burns occur, this can lead to very different outcomes, and the impact of these changes on people's lives is uneven. Due to the economic development and improvement of living conditions in Taiwan, as well as the promotion of burn prevention, awareness of safe first aid is more common. In addition, Taiwan's medical system provides high-quality treatment and national health insurance. This and the work of organizations like the Sunshine Foundation that specialize in serving burn survivors ensures that once a burn accident occurs, not only can it be dealt with immediately, but follow-up burn rehabilitation treatment is available, so that the burn survivor can recover and return to society as soon as possible.

But the international problem of burns is even more serious. In low- and middle-income countries, poverty leaves many people living in unsafe environments and dangerous living conditions. Once an accident occurs, many people are unable to receive timely and effective treatment for burns and scalds, resulting in a high mortality rate. Even if they successfully seek medical treatment, low- and middle-income countries have difficulty providing patients with the physiological and psychological reconstruction services for burns and scalds that they most need after accidental emergency treatment. As a result, burn survivors not only face the loss of physiological functions, but also their opportunities to return to society are severely limited. This puts many families in greater financial straits and leaves burn survivors facing a longer and more difficult road to recovery.

Through its international capacity building training projects, Sunshine Foundation hopes to empower burn professionals in other countries with the knowledge and skills to tackle the challenges of burns. This is also why Sunshine Foundation has joined forces with international burn organizations to hold the first "World Burns Week" from November 4 to 10, 2024 to enhance awareness of burns as a global health issue and promote extensive cooperation to reduce the global burden of burns and improve the quality of life of burns patients around the world.

Each of us can be part of the change: whether it’s sharing information about burns and burns, supporting organizations, or learning how to prevent burns and burns, everyone can play a role in this global effort.

We invite you to:

• Learn more about how we support international burn rehabilitation professionals through trainings and capacity building.
• Forward this article to let more people know about the global challenge of burns as a health crisis and raise awareness about this health issue.
• Donate to our project Give burn survivors access to rehabilitation

In April 2024, we held a comprehensive online training course designed for Latin American burn professionals, including Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists new to the field of burn rehabilitation, as well as other members of burn care teams such as nutritionists and social workers. This course ran from April 1 to April 30 and provided an invaluable opportunity to expand participants' understanding and skills in burn rehabilitation.

The primary aims of our course were to:

• Understand the profound impact of burns on skin structure and function in order to set the foundation for effective rehabilitation strategies.
• Navigate the burn wound healing process in order to understand the stages of recovery, assess wound healing, and recognize the factors influencing scar formation.
• Comprehend post-burn hypertrophic scars to learn about their development, distinctive characteristics, and implications for function.
• Understand common surgical interventions to gain insights into procedures used to address burn wounds and scars.
• Discover practical approaches to prevent and manage burn scars to aid patients in their journey towards recovery.

Our course content was meticulously designed to cover a wide range of essential topics in burn rehabilitation, including skin function, wound healing, skin grafts, development of burn scars, impact of scars on limb function, etc.

The Need for Comprehensive Training

We organized this course in response to a noticeable gap in accessible, foundational burn rehabilitation knowledge. While specific topics may be covered more extensively, basic burn rehabilitation often receives limited attention in university programs, typically only 2 to 3 hours. Consequently, many burn team members learn on the job, leading to a fragmented understanding of essential concepts. Our course aimed to provide a structured and comprehensive overview, equipping participants with the necessary knowledge to excel in burn rehabilitation.

Overwhelming Response and Participation

Despite having only 30 places available, the response was overwhelming, with 148 registrations, including 80 within the first day. This enthusiastic participation underscores the high demand for such training and the crucial role it plays in enhancing the skills of burn care professionals. In the end, we expanded course access to a total of 83 participants.

Post-course feedback from participants highlighted the value of covering foundational knowledge. The course helped clarify concepts they were already familiar with and provided new insights to improve their practice.

One participant shared:

"I got a better understanding of why certain things happen in the acute phase (e.g., edema, why scars itch) and I am now better able to explain these to the patient.”

Another participant noted:

"After the training, I pay more attention to scar tension during stretching and observe how scars change during movement. Previously, I couldn't visualize if/how/where the patient would develop scar contracture, but now, after this training, I am better able to predict it."

This feedback confirms the course's success in enhancing participants' understanding and practical skills in burn rehabilitation.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who supports our project, especially our generous donors. Your contributions have a profound impact on the burn care community. Thanks to your support, we were able to expand our online training course, accommodating more participants than initially planned and providing essential knowledge to therapists and other burn care professionals across Latin America.

The enthusiastic participation and positive feedback from course attendees highlight the critical need for comprehensive burn rehabilitation training. Your donations help bridge the gap in accessible education, ensuring that therapists receive the training they need to enhance their skills and improve patient outcomes.