Journal of Community & Public Health Nursing
Open Access

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: A proper dressing of burns helps to heal the wound and relieve the patient of many problems and side effects. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of disposable sterile drapes on the severity of pain and healing time in partial-thickness donor sites in burn patients. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: This pre&-post-test clinical trial was performed in 2020-2021. 38 burn patients admitted to a burn intensive care unit in Tehran, Iran were enrolled in a purposive sampling method. The donor site area was divided into two equal parts, which were placed on Vaseline and antibiotic ointment in the sterile drape intervention section and on Vaseline gas and antibiotic ointment in the control section. On the third, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, fifteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth, and twenty-first days, the dressing condition was checked and the severity of pain and time of healing were assessed. Visual Analogue Scale was used to measure the severity of pain. No side effects were observed during the study. Findings: RM-ANOVA showed that the intensity of pain after dressing in the intervention and control sites were significantly different in nine stages (P = 0.001) and pain in the intervention site was lesser than the control site. The burn wound at the intervention section healed earlier than the control section (14.84 ± 3.30 days vs. 17 ± 3/09 days, P = 0.005). The earliest time for complete healing in the intervention and control sections were on the ninth and thirteenth days, respectively. Conclusion & Significance: Disposable sterile drapes used on Vaseline gas reduce the severity of pain and healing time of partialthickness donor wounds compared to Vaseline gas applied to the skin site alone. The use of these cheap and uncomplicated dressings is recommended for burn patients. Also, further studies are recommended to compare these types of drapes with other dressings.

Biography

Prof. Zahra Farsi has completed her Ph.D. degree at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran in 2011. She is the administrator of the Research and Community Health Departments of a Nursing School in Tehran. She has published more than 160 papers in national and international reputed journals and has been serving as a chief editor and an editorial board member of repute. She has experience in research, evaluation, teaching, and administration both in educational institutions and hospitals. She has been a supervisor and/or advisor to more than 40 master’s and Ph.D. students.