Children often arrive at the emergency room after suboptimal burn care at home.
The latest guidelines now stress removing clothing and diapers as quickly as possible after a burn. While parents usually cool the injury, they frequently overlook fully undressing the child.
Combining undressing with cooling is ideal and forms a single key first aid step. Fabrics and diapers trap heat, aggravating burns and hindering visibility and treatment. Cool the burn for 10 minutes under gently running lukewarm water.
Prior guidelines, developed after the Volendam disaster, focused mainly on fire-related burns.
