Physical therapy acute burn evaluation tool

A physical therapy acute burn evaluation tool was developed to provide a concise evaluation of the patient with burns in accordance with our hospital's physical therapy department protocols. Previous burn evaluations were either written on a generic physical therapy form or written out in the subjective, objective, assessment, and plan format. They required 20 to 30 minutes for completion, depending on the extent of the burn and any subsequent physical impairment. The new form is primarily laid out in a check-off design, with additional space for comments. Documentation time has decreased to 10 to 15 minutes, and that time does not appear to be affected by the burn experience of the therapist. This new evaluation tool has also proved useful for educating the student physical therapists that have rotated through our unit.