State of the Science Meeting: Burn Care: Goals for Treatment and Research

Abstract

Abstract : The Burn State of the Science Research Conference achieved its stated purpose: the identification and prioritization of burn research goals for the next decade and the delineation of the resources needed to achieve those goals. Issues ranging from acute burn care through the rehabilitative period were addressed in a single forum and published in the Journal of Burn Care and Research. Although much progress has been made in burn management, much remains to be learned. Universal definitions, endpoints of care, and grading systems which can be applied for both clinical and basic science research are lacking. Consensus in these areas is vital to conducting meaningful research, but these conclusions need to be validated via basic science, pilot clinical studies, and multicenter randomized trials to define the best burn care. The greatest achievement of the conference was the open interaction it fostered between researchers, clinicians, burn survivors, funding organizations, journal editors, military personnel, and international burn researchers. The findings of this conference will be the basis for the burn research of the future.