When attending a burns multidisciplinary team follow-up clinic, a significant number of patients and families presented with psychological needs related to burn injuries, according to a study published in Scars, Burns & Healing. Melissa Potter and colleagues identified psychological needs of patients and their families during the different stages of post-burn recovery. The data gathered related to the identification of patient and/or family psychological needs of 808 clinical contacts (331 adults; 477 children). Some degree of psychological need for the patient and/or family was identified in 43% of adults and 46% of children, with the majority of concerns related directly to the burn injury. The study team emphasized the benefits of a psychological presence within scar clinics, as nearly one-half of patients obtained an assessment and additional support. “Even for patients with no identified psychological needs, psychology presence enabled the opportunity for brief screening, preventative advice, or signposting to take place during clinic,” the authors wrote.
