Paucity of Clinical Practice Guidelines

The study aims to report on a review of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for burn injury, to assess the extent to which they encourage practices that will result in optimal care at all phases of treatment. CPGs that translate research into community practice are an important way that disparities in burn survivors’ care and health outcomes may be improved.

What did the study find?

This study found that there is a scarcity of CPGs related to clinical rehabilitation for burn survivors. This is likely because: there are very few published intervention trials, rare randomized controlled trials addressing rehabilitation, absence of data to start an evidence base for practice recommendations, an inadequate number of community-based intervention trials, and little patient input.

Who participated in the study?

There were no participants in this study because it was a literature review.

How was the study conducted?

This study was a literature review which used three reviewers to determine whether guideline development followed an established vetting process in the identified articles. This was done by searching for burn injury CPGs that used the word “rehabilitation” and or “function” in assessing the recommended practices to figure out how well they align with likely rehabilitation outcomes. The study focused on whether the CPGs included specific rehabilitation treatment recommendations, or only recommended a need or referral for rehabilitation.

How can people use the results?

Individuals with burn injuries and their families can use the results of this study to better understand what CPGs are for burn injuries. Practitioners can use these findings to think about how to develop a systematic, generally agreed upon approach toward evaluating and treating burn patients.

Reference

Gerber, L.H., Deshpande, R., Prabhakar, S., ... Schneider, J. (2020). Paucity of clinical practice guidelines for the rehabilitation of burn survivors. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 99(8), 739-751. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001442

Disclaimer

The contents of this quick review were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPKT0009). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this quick review do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.