The initial period of admission

1. Patient's psychologic response

• In order to avoid the bacterial infection, patients with burn injury have to stay in the intensive care unit of burn injury. It makes them feel lonely, fearful and anxiety due to the strange environment and the isolation of the ward.
• Because patients have to live in the isolation ward, their family is unable to give the emotional support any time. Patients must face the treatment by themselves. For losing a sense of security, they often claim for discharge or prolong the meeting time.
• Nightmare

• Denial and anger

2. How should the family member help？

• The initial period of admission When family membership visits the patient, they need to spend more time to talk, accompany, listen to, with the patient and to comfort. Never to blame the patient. Speaking words must be tender, and show loving care to the patient. Let them have the feeling with concern.
• The family could inform the medical care personnel whether the patient had any habit at home in order to conduct the sequential care smoothly and to push the patient to adapt the life in ICU.
• To know the patient's emotional response, and face it correctly.

The family often request discharge for the patient’s inadequate adoption to the ward. In the initial period, patient’s crying and sorrow are the normal emotional response to patients with burn injury. After being familiar with the environment and with the assistance from the family and the medical care personnel’s, these negative emotional responses will subside.

• The treatment of the nightmare

The nightmare will reduce day after day. Family can share the stress from the nightmare.

Treatment stage

1. Patients’ psychological response:

• Pain associated negative thoughts:

• Fears to treatment:

• Self-negation and decline in self-worth:

Patients may experience self-negation due to the loss of physical function and changes in appearance, and their sense of self-worth may decline.

2. How to help the patients while being the family members: 

• Affording continuously psychological supports and keeping the patients away from feeling lonely.
• Family members can assist patients in facing the difficulties of treatment and encourage them to maintain a positive attitude.
• Cooperating with medical stuff and social workers in helping the patients. Because the medical stuff spend more time than family contacting with patients in their hospital course, they are clearest about patients’ condition. Therefore, the family could discuss with medical stuff about how to help in patients’ bio-mental reconstruction.

Rehabilitation Stage

1. Patients’ psychological response:

• Dependence:

In the injury period, the wounds cause restrictions in patient’s activities. Thus, they are dependent on medical stuff’s help in activities such as taking meals, taking a bath, or wearing clothes.

• Self-acceptance and self-identification:

Patients may learn to accept their physical changes through the process of recovery, and establish a new self-identity.

2. How to help the patients while being the family members:

• Don’t replace him to do, but help him to do.
• Rehabilitation needs to be performed over a long period of time, the more comfortable the posture is the shrinkage posture, the need to maintain functional position posture, maintain limb function, prevent body deformation atrophy.
• Help the patient face challenges: Family members can help the patient face the challenges of recovery and encourage the patient to maintain a positive attitude.
• Family and medical personnel work on discharge preparation and care together.