Follow Up & Referral

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Next Wound Review

A follow up review should occur within 48 – 72 hours of initial presentation to reassess depth, monitor healing and determine ongoing management. It may be necessary to consider a different dressing with a lesser absorbency capacity as the wound moves out off the inflammatory stage.

Patients should be advised to see their GP or emergency department outside of scheduled appointment hours if they have increased pain, redness, swelling, fever, chills or rash.

 

When to Refer On…

Some minor burn injuries will require further referral to a surgeon, wound care specialist and burn outpatient clinic. Such cases would include but not be limited to:

  • Burn injuries in which depth is unclear after 3 – 5 days, referral to a surgeon or burn specialist maybe warranted.
  • Burn injuries which are slow to heal (eg poor progression at 5-7 days) should be referred to an appropriate wound specialist, surgeon or burn service.
  • Burn injuries in patients with co-morbidities that can complicate wound healing should be managed by a clinician with wound care expertise

The Victorian Adult Burn Service at the Alfred and the Royal Children’s Hospital Burn Unit  accept referrals for outpatient management of more complex minor burn injuries from treating practitioners. Visit the Outpatient Referral page for more details.

The Alfred Hospital gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support and contribution of Skilled Medical in funding this project.  For more information on Skilled Medical, please visit www.skilledmedical.com
Supported by:

Ambulance Victoria The Alfred Victorian Adult Burn Services at The Alfred The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne