Standardization of the first aid treatment of burn injuries in Vorarlberg, Austria

Abstract

It is 6 years since a burn unit was installed at the Landeskrankenhaus Feldkirch in Vorarlberg. Before that time, systematic clinical burn care was unknown in this country. Systematic first aid treatment of burn injuries was not known either. According to the principles of quality management, an obligation was felt not only to standardize the burn treatment in the unit itself, but also to make known the principles of first aid to the whole medical staff in our country. This is why we carried out many public relation activities consisting of several lectures to general practitioners and training for the emergency staff, including the lay personnel. The population were even informed about first aid treatment via radio and TV. In 1994, the degree of success in the public relation efforts was examined. During a period of 10 months, all the burn patients were asked about the quality of their first aid treatment. The questionnaires of 72 patients were evaluated, and it was found that the criteria demanded of first aid treatment were met within a range of 77.6–100 per cent. From these figures, it was concluded that public relation activities have been very successful in establishing the first aid care, they have led to a better quality of burn treatment in general and, specifically, to a significant reduction in cost.