Primary Burn Care Training Successfully Concluded at SKMH
Overview
Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital has successfully concluded a six-day Primary Burn Care Training programme in collaboration with Dhulikhel Hospital. The training set out to strengthen the skills of healthcare professionals in providing timely and effective primary care for burn injuries, combining classroom teaching with clinical observation in the operating theatre and emergency department, along with hands-on workshops. Across the six days participants worked through burns epidemiology, classification and assessment, fluid resuscitation, dressings and bandaging, rehabilitation and splinting, infection prevention, burn nutrition, pain management and the special burns, closing with psychosocial support, communication skills and documentation. On the final day teams from Dhulikhel Hospital, Dolakha Hospital and Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital presented their action plans, and all participants completed the post-test and received their certificates.
Day by Day
- Day 1September 6, 202612 photos
Course Introduction, Burns Epidemiology and Assessment
The programme opened with an introduction to the course, followed by sessions on burns epidemiology and the classification and assessment of burns. This intensive training aims to strengthen the skills of healthcare professionals in providing timely and effective primary care for burn injuries.
- Course introduction
- Burns epidemiology
- Classification and assessment of burns
- Day 2September 7, 202619 photos
Fluid Resuscitation in Focus
Day 2 continued with rich, practical learning. In the morning, participants first visited the operating room, where they closely observed the application of synthetic dressings and the precise technique of autograft placement. This was followed by a visit to the Emergency Department to observe the management of a burn patient - seeing firsthand how early patient stabilization sets the stage for successful intervention. In the afternoon, the focus shifted to one of the most critical pillars of burn care: fluid resuscitation in burns, covering accurate fluid calculation, continuous monitoring and strategies to avoid under- or over-resuscitation. A hands-on workshop on fluid management followed, where participants practiced applying protocols and refining clinical decision-making in real-time scenarios. The key takeaway: effective fluid management is the foundation that stabilizes the patient and enables everything that follows - from acute care in the emergency department to surgical procedures and optimal recovery.
- Operating room visit: synthetic dressing application and autograft placement
- Emergency Department observation of burn patient management
- Session on fluid resuscitation: calculation, monitoring and avoiding under- or over-resuscitation
- Hands-on workshop on fluid management protocols and clinical decision-making
- Day 3September 8, 20264 photos
Dressings, Hospital Tour and Burns Rehabilitation
Day 3 opened with lectures on dressing in burns, followed by a lively discussion of the Participants' Primary Burn Care Course Book. Participants then moved out of the classroom for a visit to the Central Dressing Room and a full hospital tour, seeing the systems of a working burn service in action. The afternoon was hands-on: intensive bandaging practice, lectures on burns rehabilitation and, immediately after, splinting practice - turning the day's teaching into skill on the spot.
- Lectures on dressing in burns
- Discussion of the Participants' Primary Burn Care Course Book
- Visit to the Central Dressing Room and full hospital tour
- Hands-on bandaging practice
- Lectures on burns rehabilitation
- Hands-on splinting practice
- Day 4September 9, 20268 photos
Infection Control, Burn Nutrition and Care Beyond the Burn Centre
Day 4 went deep into two modules that shape patient outcomes long after the initial injury. Module 4 covered infection prevention and control - recognising the early signs of infection and stopping it before it takes hold - while Module 7 addressed burn nutrition, from the metabolic response and nutritional assessment through to feeding strategies and monitoring. Lectures on burn nutrition were paired with a hands-on workshop, alongside a session on treating burn patients outside the burn centre and a live operating theatre visit to observe debridement. The emphasis throughout was practical: care that works in the field, when the nearest burn unit may be hours away.
- Module 4: Infection control and prevention - recognising and managing infection
- Module 7: Burn nutrition - metabolic response, nutritional assessment, feeding strategies and monitoring
- Burn nutrition lectures and hands-on workshop
- Treating burn patients outside the burn centre
- Live operating theatre visit to observe debridement
- Day 5September 10, 202610 photos
Pain Management, Special Burns and Communication Skills
Day 5 took on some of the most demanding areas of burn care. Sessions led by Dr Raju Bhandari covered pain management and procedural sedation, with practical tips including strategies for managing the itching that troubles so many burn patients. The day then worked through the special burns - electrical, inhalation, paediatric and chemical injuries, delayed presentation and perineal burns - before turning to the parts of care that are easy to overlook: psychosocial counselling and depression screening, and the communication skills that hold a team and a family together. The SPIKES protocol, SBAR handover and the role of telemedicine were each covered, and the day closed with an action plan discussion drawing out practical next steps for participants to take home.
- Pain management and procedural sedation - lectures and practical tips, including managing itching in burn patients
- Special burns: electrical injuries, inhalation injuries, paediatric burns, chemical burns, delayed presentation and perineal burns
- Psychosocial support: counselling and depression screening as part of holistic burn care
- Communication skills: the SPIKES protocol, SBAR and the role of telemedicine
- Action plan discussion - practical takeaways and next steps for improving care
- Day 6September 11, 202610 photos
Documentation, Action Plans and Certification
The final day brought the six days together. Participants worked through documentation and communications in lectures and practical problem-solving led by Dr Raju Bhandari, and then the teams from Dhulikhel Hospital, Dolakha Hospital and Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital presented the action plans they will carry back to their own units. The post-test followed, with certificates distributed by Prof. Ishwar Lohani, and the day closed with feedback from participants and an address by Dr June Kakshyapati, representative from Dhulikhel. Participants spoke warmly of the mentorship of Prof. Ishwar Lohani and Dr Raju Bhandari, whose expertise and dedication shaped the training throughout - and all participants completed the course and were certified.
- Documentation and communications - lectures and practical problem-solving
- Action plan presentations by the teams from Dhulikhel Hospital, Dolakha Hospital and Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital
- Post-test and certificate distribution by Prof. Ishwar Lohani
- Closing feedback from participants and an address by Dr June Kakshyapati, representative from Dhulikhel
- Successful completion and certification of all participants
Focus Areas
- Burns epidemiology
- Classification and assessment of burns
- Fluid resuscitation in burns
- Dressing in burns and bandaging practice
- Burns rehabilitation and splinting
- Infection prevention and control
- Burn nutrition and feeding strategies
- Pain management and procedural sedation
- Special burns: electrical, inhalation, paediatric, chemical, delayed presentation and perineal
- Psychosocial support, counselling and depression screening
- Communication skills: SPIKES, SBAR and telemedicine
- Documentation in burns
- Clinical observation in the operating theatre and emergency department
- Hands-on workshops in burn management
Target Audience
- Healthcare professionals providing primary care for burn injuries
Faculty
Lead Faculty & Content Developer
Dr Raju Bhandari
Deputy Medical Director, SKMH
Guide
Prof. Ishwar Lohani
Medical Director, SKMH
Organizers
- Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust/Hospital
- Dhulikhel Hospital