Development of a Postburn Pruritus Relief Protocol.

BACKGROUND: Postburn pruritus is a syndrome of stressful symptoms that is pervasive and occurs in over 90% of burn patients and continues for years after the burn has healed. Postburn pruritus is experienced by burn survivors that may require medical management and effective interventions.

PURPOSE: This article shows how to effectively relieve postburn pruritus by developing a postburn pruritus relief protocol.

DESIGN: A descriptive literature review was conducted, and relevant empirical articles written during the years 2000-2014 were appraised to create a postburn pruritus relief protocol. Twenty-six of 79 articles were selected using preestablished inclusion criteria: any age group experiencing burn-related pruritus after second- or third-degree burns. Databases were Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, EBSCO, PubMed, the National Guideline Clearinghouse, Google Scholar, and the American Burn Association website.

CONCLUSIONS: This protocol included both nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions that have been delineated for use and was developed to apply based on the healing stage: prehealing, healing, and posthealing.