Physical and quality of life outcomes of patients with isolated hand burns--a prospective audit.

Hand burns can have major implications on function, appearance, and quality of life. Our clinical practice has changed over the last 10 years, with a steady increase in the proportion of hand burns receiving early and aggressive surgical management using Biobrane® sheets/gloves and a concomitant fall in the proportion requiring excision and split skin grafting. The aim of this study was to measure a comprehensive range of outcomes for patients admitted with isolated hand burns to review our outcomes and provide us with the "expected" patterns of recovery.

Reliability testing of a new scar assessment tool, Matching Assessment of Scars and Photographs (MAPS).

A new scar-assessment tool, the Matching Assessment of Scars and Photographs (MAPS), which uses a set of reference photographs, a numeric scale, and location technique, was tested for its reliability in two stages. First, using five adults, three raters assessed 32 burns scars twice within 3 days. Subsequently, reliability was tested during a 6-month time frame, emphasizing the process of localizing test areas as scars changed and raters forgot the previous assessment.