People with burn injuries can present at any point in the NSW health system. The ability to assess, manage and transfer these patients to tertiary services is fundamental to good patient outcomes.
These resources support the acute clinical care of people with a burn injury. The resources were developed based on an evidence review (PDF 2.9 MB) and the extensive clinical experience of the multidisciplinary team members in NSW severe burn units.
Clinical guidelines
NSW burn transfer guidelines
Published: May 2022 (4th ed, version 2). Next review: 2025.
Retrieval, referral and transfer of patients with burn injuries to a severe burn unit.
Download the NSW burn transfer guidelines (PDF 3.0 MB)
Burn patient management
Published: April 2019 (4th ed, version 4.1). Next review: 2024.
Initial assessment, pain management, wound management and admission criteria for people with burn injuries.
Download the Burn patient managementguidelines (PDF 7.3 MB)
Burn patient management - evidence summary
Published: January 2018 (4th ed). Next review: 2024.
This document provides a summary of the available evidence to support the Burn Patient Management and the Minor Burn Management guidelines.
Download the Burn patient managementevidence summary (PDF 2.9 MB)
Escharotomy for burn patients
Published: June 2019 (2nd ed, version 2). Next review: 2024.
Indications and instructions for an incision through the eschar (escharotomy) to release the pressure.
Download the Escharotomy for burn patientsguidelines (PDF 826.5 KB)Download the escharotomy for burn patients guidelines (PDF 826.5 KB)
Tools
These tools are extracts from the clinical guidelines.
Burn size assessment: rule of nines
Published: August 2022
Tool to estimate the extent of a burn injury.
Recognising burn depths chart
Published: December 2017
Criteria to describe the depth of a burn injury.