Give burn survivors access to rehabilitation

In 2022, Sunshine Foundation launched a new training project with Hallym Burn Foundation in Korea. Over a four-year period, Sunshine will train burn professionals and burn survivors in highly specialized pressure garment production techniques, and provide guidance and technical support as our Korean partners set up their own pressure garment services.

Taking up the challenge of setting up a pressure garment service from scratch

Pressure garments are an integral part of the rehabilitation process after burns. These garments help prevent hypertrophic scar growth, which otherwise can lead to contracture, deformity and loss of function. Hallym Foundation in South Korea helps close to 1,000 people with burn injuries every year, but the lack of suitable pressure garments is an issue that the foundation staff have always wanted to address. In 2022, Sunshine Foundation signed a cooperation agreement with Hallym Foundation to conduct a four-year training program on pressure garment production. Unlike our previous training partners who already were producing their own garments, Hallym Foundation has never provided pressure garment services. Without manpower, equipment, and work processes, they are starting from scratch, so this project not only requires technical training, but also assistance for the development of their entire service model. This is a challenge for Sunshine, but even more so for our Korean partners who must familiarize themselves with many new things, from mastering techniques to organizing work division and procuring machines and material, etc.

Using online training to overcome pandemic-related limitations

Because Covid-19 still imposes limitations on international travel, the 2022 training has done been entirely online. Sunshine prepared pre-recorded lessons in Korean on basic concepts, pressure garment measurement and fitting techniques. These lessons were made available to participants on our E-Learning platform. Also, in June, a live online training was carried out through ZOOM to teach participants pattern-making techniques. The demonstration of techniques by Sunshine’s trainer was broadcasted live to participants in Korea. With their cellphones, participants were also able to broadcast how they applied the techniques and get immediate comments from Sunshine’s trainer.

Burn survivors and pressure garments: from users to producers

An important feature of this project is that some of the trainees are burn survivors themselves. Although most of them are novice in terms of pattern-making and sewing, having experienced post-burn rehabilitation and having used pressure garments themselves, they are well aware of the importance of comfort. Throughout the live training session, they asked many questions about the design of garments that were informed by their own (sometimes negative) experience: How to make sure that garments are not too tight?, How to avoid Velcro rubbing against the skin and causing discomfort?, etc.

This year’s training focused on the simplest garments (sleeves and neck collar) but it’s only the beginning. As participants start to apply what they learn and gain experience AND confidence, a new pressure garment service system will start to emerge. And as life after the pandemic returns to normal, Sunshine will be able to resume face to face trainings.

We will need your support over the next four years to be able to provide guidance to our partner so that they can provide Korean burn survivors efficient and comfortable pressure garments. We invite you to give to our project.

The loss of hand function after burns can have an immense impact on the lives of burn patients, limiting their ability to return to their normal lives as students, parent, workers, etc. This is why burn therapists must understand how to manage hand burns to prevent debilitating problems or deformities, and this is why since 2021, we have been rolling out series of online courses on this topic.

In 2021, we launched the “Management of Hand Burns – Introduction and Basic Concepts” online course, to present knowledge and concepts to establish the base of rehabilitation of the burned hand, with an emphasis on developing clinical reasoning of the therapist, to better identify and prioritize problems and their cause, and thus establish clear treatment goals. A total of 65 burn professionals from 10 Latin America country registered for this intensive course.

This year, we followed up with the online course “Management of Hand Burns – Intervention Strategies,” which examined in more details different types of intervention to provide therapists with key knowledge and principles to choose the right interventions, and decide on the right frequency and the right intensity when developing an individualized rehabilitation strategy to prevent or correct problems like scar contracture and hand deformities. A total of 34 burn professionals from 10 Latin America countries participated in this training.

Over two years, we have seen the tremendous progress made by all the participants. First, the huge difference between pre-test and post-test scores clearly demonstrate the impact of the course in terms of knowledge acquisition. Therapists have gained a better understanding of principles and the rationales for many things that they do in their clinical practice. But most importantly, the training has transformed their clinical practice, in that they adjusted or corrected rehabilitation methods that weren’t necessarily the best (ex: performing exercises the wrong way), and they have also become aware that due to limits of knowledge, they were overlooking problems that can have a serious impact on hand functions (ex: not prioritizing edema control).

Trainings can have a huge impact on improving burn rehabilitation when therapists actively implement the knowledge and skills they have learned. In the end, their patients benefit through better outcomes. Your support of our training efforts makes this possible and allows us to continue sharing our burn rehabilitation expertise with therapists around the world.

GlobalGiving’s Bous Day will be held on July 20, 2022. During this event, $400,000 will be available in Matching Funds. While fund remains, your donation of up to $1,000 (per unique donor per organization) can be matched as follows:

• 30% match on donations from $100 - $499 (while funds remain)
• 40% match on donations from $500 - $749 (while funds remain)
• 50% match on donations from $750 - $1,000 (while funds remain)

We invite you to mark the date on your calendar and be sure to support our re-opened project Give Burn Survivors Access to Rehabilitation on that special to make your donation go even further!

Links:

• Learn more about our burn rehabilitation training efforts