How the American Burn Association Can Help with Burn Injury Recovery

Each year, thousands of individuals visit emergency rooms across the country due to life-threatening burn injuries. In these cases, a victim can suffer damage to all three layers of skin and could lose underlying fat, muscle, and bone tissue. 

Unfortunately, burn injury recovery is not easy. Healing takes time; patients often need to be transported to burn centers with specialized care. Many burn injury survivors not only struggle with the physical damage but also experience emotional stress. Everyday tasks such as dressing, walking, and driving may feel overwhelming and difficult to bear.

Enduring a severe burn injury is life-changing and nothing can fully alleviate the burden of such a traumatic event. However, finding burn injury support can be a tremendous and necessary relief.

 A major force in advocating for burn victims is the American Burn Association (ABA). The ABA is recognized for offering invaluable support to burn victims and serves as a clearinghouse for information concerning burn treatment and prevention. The ABA’s membership includes doctors, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, social workers, firefighters, and volunteers. According to its strategic plan, the organization strives to support the lives of “everyone” involved in the burn experience, including the one who suffered the injury and the emergency personnel and medical teams tasked with caring for and protecting citizens across the country.

Role of the American Burn Association

The roots of the American Burn Association (ABA) go back to the years immediately following World War II. Dr. Alan Dimick, a past president of the organization explained in a 1978 speech that the ABA was initiated when Americans were preoccupied with a potential “atomic catastrophe” which could have resulted in many Americans suffering major injuries, including severe burns.

Preparing for a worst-case scenario, the federal government financially supported programs researching burn wound care, by having the U.S. Navy sponsor gatherings at the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory in San Francisco. The “burn seminars” brought doctors together who compared their caseloads and treatment plans. 

Over time, healthcare workers began to rely on the burn care information obtained at the seminars, and the American Burn Association was officially launched in October 1967 with members voting on bylaws that made room for both “active members” (doctors) and “associate members” (nurses and others who work with burn victims). 

Dimick said, “Initially there were two simultaneous programs: a clinical session and a research session.” In 1978, the ABA seminars expanded to include a focus on burn prevention, a topic that continues to be a priority in 2024.

Dimick applauded the efforts of the charter members, but he noted the ABA needed to “continue to respond” to the challenges associated with burn injuries.

It appears they have.

The ABA now has more than 2,000 members worldwide. It has added new programming throughout the years including the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) and the Burn Therapist Certified program, to promote occupational and physical therapists with specialized knowledge, skill, and experience in burn rehabilitation. The ABA is also recognized for other educational offerings, including its publication in the Journal of Burn Care & Research, which reports research updates on burn injuries.

The ABA is arguably most known for the ABA Burn Center Verification Program which requires burn centers to adhere “to standards in patient safety, education, and advocacy.” Currently, there are about 130 burn centers in the country with 77 earning the ABA verification, including the Burn Center at University Medical Center in New Orleans. 

The burn center verification process includes officials reviewing the facility’s ability to provide patients with long-term care for their burn injuries, examining medical records, and looking at personnel training and programs. 

Navigating the Aftermath of a Severe Burn Injury

According to the ABA, burn injuries are among the leading causes of unintentional death and injury in the U.S. The most common causes of burn injuries include:

• Exposure to open flames or fires, such as in house fires or car accidents.
• Contact with hot liquids or steam, often from spills or accidents in kitchens.
• Direct contact with hot objects like stovetops, irons, or machinery.
• Electrical burns from faulty wiring, contact with power lines, or electrical equipment malfunctions.
• Chemical burns from exposure to hazardous substances.
• Explosions in workplace settings such as oil rigs in offshore accidents, industrial plants, or construction sites.

In many circumstances burn injuries are due to someone else’s negligence such as in vehicle accidents, defective product cases, or lack of safety protocols at residences or in the workplace. When negligence plays a role, burn victims should consider contacting a burn injury lawyer to determine possible legal options to secure compensation for the costly medical expenses. 

As we mentioned, severe burns have long-term impacts on a victim’s life, and they need a support system in place while they focus on healing. This includes resources like the ABA which ensures that the general public, and burn victims and their caregivers in particular, understand where they can receive the care they need in all areas of the burn recovery process. 

A burn injury support system should also include a law firm with expertise in burn injury lawsuits to guide survivors through the legal aftermath of a burn injury accident. The Louisiana burn injury attorneys at Herman, Katz, Gisleson & Cain are here to help. Call us at 844-943-7627 or contact us online for more information or a free case consultation.