Methods and Tools Used for the Measurement of Burn Scar Contracture.
Summary of "Methods and Tools Used for the Measurement of Burn Scar Contracture."
After burn injury, scar contracture can cause significant impairment and functional deficit. Many studies have investigated the treatment and prevention of burn scar contracture, but few studies have focused on the methods for measuring contracture. The purpose of this study was to determine whether consistent and objective methods of measurement are used to quantify scar contracture in the clinical evaluation of burn patients and in burn research. A survey was administered to 407 burn therapists to determine the methods and tools used clinically to measure scar contracture, while a review of recent burn literature was conducted to determine the methods and tools used in burn research. The results of the survey indicate that there is a lack of consensus in the methods and tools used for the measurement of scar contracture, both clinically and in research. Instead, a variety of measurement methods was reported, each with varying degrees of objectivity. Clinically, the methods are rarely checked for reliability or performance competency. In burn research, the methods and tools vary, and contracture data obtained are often reported in an inconsistent manner. If the measurement of scar contracture is not done objectively and consistently, then it is difficult to determine reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the measurement methods. Development of standard protocols with reliable measures of scar contracture would improve the quality of burn care and research.
Affiliation
From the Shriners Hospital for Children, Northern California, Sacramento, California.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association
ISSN: 1559-0488
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20859215
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BCR.0b013e3181f9354f
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
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The shrinkage of the foreign body encapsulation scar tissue that forms around artificial implants imbedded in body tissues.
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Specialized hospital facilities which provide intensive care for burn patients.
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A sharply elevated, irregularly shaped, progressively enlarging scar resulting from formation of excessive amounts of collagen in the dermis during connective tissue repair. It is differentiated from a hypertrophic scar (CICATRIX, HYPERTROPHIC) in that the former does not spread to surrounding tissues.
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