The role of nursing care in the management of post-burn epidermal cancer: A narrative review

Abstract

Severe burns, affecting over 20% of the body, induce systemic dysfunction and immune suppression, correlating with increased cancer risk, especially skin cancer. Nurses play a crucial role in averting complications, which is explored in this study through a comprehensive literature review. The literature review focused on nursing care for post-burn skin cancer; a systematic search covered databases including Magiran, Scientific Information Database, and PubMed and Google Scholar search engine. Keywords "nursing", "skin cancer", and "burn" were strategically combined with Boolean operators. From an initial 580 articles, 10 met eligibility post-screening. The results have shown that optimal care for burn patients necessitates an interdisciplinary approach with the burn nurse at its core, coordinating patient care across multiple disciplines. The nurse's responsibilities encompass a comprehensive understanding of multisystem organ failure, critical care methodologies, diagnostic procedures, and psychosocial skills. Meticulous wound care, infection prevention, and pain management are pivotal, with the nurse actively engaging in nursing research. The origin of cancers within burns involves hypotheses of persistent cell proliferation, chronic inflammation, toxin exposure, and compromised immunological defense. Nursing care, particularly in detecting and treating wound inflammation, is pivotal in preventing cancer. Nurses contribute to patient education on skin cancer prevention, emphasizing lifestyle choices and providing crucial psychological support. Nursing diagnoses, based on symptomatology studies, include "risk for impaired skin integrity", "impaired skin integrity", "acute pain", "chronic pain", and "impaired comfort". These diagnoses guide tailored interventions to prevent skin cancer incidence.In sum, nurses are pivotal in comprehensive burn care, overseeing wound care, infection prevention, and patient education on UV radiation dangers. They advocate healthy lifestyles to reduce skin cancer risk, provide psychological support, and encourage commitment to prevention practices. Nursing diagnoses guide tailored interventions, contributing to ongoing improvements in burn care and enhancing the quality of life for survivors.