Analysis of cost of dressings in the care of burn patients Fernanda Gaspar Torrati a , Lidia Aparecida Rossi b, *, EneÂas Ferreira c , Maria CeÂlia Barcelos Dalri d , EmõÂlia Campos de Carvalho b , ClaÂudia B. dos Santos Barbeira e a Specialized Nursing Unit, Ribeira Äo Preto Medical School Clinical Hospital, University of Sa Äo Paulo, Sa Äo Paulo, Brazil b Department of General and Specialized Nursing, University of Sa Äo Paulo, Av. Baneirantes, 3990 CEP, 14040-902 Ribeira Äo Preto, Sa Äo Paulo, Brazil c Burns Unit, University of Sa Äo Paulo, Sa Äo Paulo, Brazil d Operating Theatre and Materials, University of Sa Äo Paulo, Sa Äo Paulo, Brazil e Department of Mother±Child Nursing and Public Health, University of Sa Äo Paulo, Sa Äo Paulo, Brazil Accepted 11 August 1999 Abstract This study aimed at analyzing the costs of material used in the occlusive dressings of burn patients. The subjects of the study were patients over the age of 18 years who were admitted to the Burns Unit of the RibeiraÄo Preto Medical School Clinical Hospital, University of SaÄo Paulo ± Brazil, from 15 January to 11 September 1998. Data were collected concerning the costs and duration of bathing and dressing of these patients. We concluded that there was a positive relation between the real costs of the materials used and the percentage of the body surface burned. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the number of sta involved in care and the size of the burns. There was no signi®cant dierence between the cost of materials used in dressings for burns of dierent depths. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved. Keywords: Burn; Burn costs; Burn care; Cost of dressing 1. Introduction Patients admitted to specialized facilities for burn care undergo several surgical procedures such as debri- dement and grafting. Recovering from an extensive burn tends to be a long process, which can be pro- longed and aggravated by complications. Overall costs of care of patients who have suered burns is very high as it depends on lengthy stays and demands multidisciplinary teams involving nurses, auxiliaries, surgeons, intensive care physicians, psy- chologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists and physiothera- pists. Dressing costs can vary according to the size and depth of the burned area, the type of bathing and dres- sing used and the occurrence of complications. Dressings for burned patients can be open or closed. The open dressing reduces healing time and re-epithe- lialization time and promotes early elimination of crusts [1]. However, open dressings make it more di- cult for patients with large burned areas to move and, therefore, is generally used in caring of small burns, such as the ears. The occlusive dressing allows for the patient to move more freely, but it will have a higher cost due to the kind of materials used. At the Burns Unit where this study was performed, the closed dressing prevails. This type of dressing fa- cilitates early mobilization of patients with large burns, reduces pain in patients with second degree burns and, in addition, protects ``the wound against risk of con- stant infection, absorbing exudate and promoting heal- ing in the shortest possible time'' [2]. In this Burns Unit, dressings are tailored to the patients' measure- Burns 26 (2000) 289±293 0305-4179/00/$20.00+0.00 # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved. PII: S0305-4179(99)00132-1 www.elsevier.com/locate/burns * Corresponding author. Fax: +55-16-633-3271. E-mail address: rizzardo@glete.eerp.usp.br (L.A. Rossi).