Severe burns related injuries are devastating and have life-long impacts. Burns affect over 11 million people each year – 95% of burns injuries occur in low-income countries and over 70% of these are children.
To ensure individuals who experience burns receive essential care in a timely manner, Interplast has further developed its partnership with the Australian & New Zealand Burns Association (ANZBA), and has continued to deliver a modified version of the Emergency Management of Severe Burns (EMSB) Course to clinicians across the region, using online platforms. We have been able to continue this teaching in a different format thanks to the strong local partnerships which we have in Fiji, and the engaged and committed local faculty and coordinators, following a number of years of ‘face-to-face’ delivery. The course teaches participants how to recognise, assess, stablise and transfer a severely burnt patient. Supplementing existing clinical knowledge in trauma management with the specific aspects and challenges associated with a burn injury, the rollout of this course will lead to improved treatment outcomes.
In addition to the delivery of EMSB, Interplast has recently formed a partnership with Interburns. Established in the UK in 2006, the aim of Interburns was to transform the way burn care is delivered in low and middle income countries. Interplast is proud to partner with Interburns to commence work on the development of a digital prototype of a Delivery Assessment Tool. This tool will allow medical staff to assess their burns treatment against agreed standards, thereby leading to continuous improvement and enhanced patient care.
These new initiatives to better prevent and treat burns injury are thanks to Interplast’s partnership with, and support from the Australian Government, through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.
We look forward to sharing further information with you about both initiatives in the near future.
