Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Scar Board

Our Burn team provides evaluation & management of burn scars. Occasionally, it is necessary to involve the plastic surgery team for reconstructive procedures and we noted an opportunity to improve communication. Leaders of these teams met to create the Scar Board (SB), modeled after interdisciplinary tumor boards. Goals: 1) Improve communication 2) Improve coordination of care 3) Increase efficiency of referrals; SB includes members of the Burn MD/APC/RN teams, Plastic Surgery MD team & Burn OT/PT staff. Identified patients are presented bi-monthly at a SB meeting. Patient cases are presented and include patient information, images and/or videos highlighting areas of concern. Patients are reviewed; referrals are placed & appointments are scheduled with the appropriate team. Members of SB were given a survey to address satisfaction with the process. Pre-screened patients 177, Presented patients 53, successful referrals to plastics 32. The survey found 87.5% of participants strongly agreed/ agreed bi-monthly SB meetings improved communication between teams. One hundred percent of participants strongly agreed/agreed SB meetings improved care of burn patients requiring reconstructive surgery. 100% of participants strongly agreed/agreed SB meetings increase efficiency of burn referrals to the plastic surgery team. Participants ranked satisfaction of SB meetings on a scale of 1-5 with one being very dissatisfied & five being very satisfied, the average rank was four. SB has improved communication, coordination & efficiency of placing referrals. Survey results demonstrate participants support this patient care model. This patient review model can be utilized in other institutions to improve communication between service teams.

Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Scar Board 684 Chelsea Gamero, BSN, RN, Lisa McMurtrey BSN, RN, Irma D. Fleming, MD, Christopher R. LaChapelle, MD, DPT, Giavonni M. Lewis, MD, MSci, FACS, FABA, Callie Thompson, MD, FACS, FABA Introduction Our Burn Center provides comprehensive evaluation and management of burn scars, including laser treatment. At times it is necessary to involve the plastic surgery team for complex reconstructive procedures. As our burn scar and laser treatment programs have expanded, we saw an opportunity to improve collaboration, communication and coordination of care between the Burn and Plastic Surgery teams. Leaders of both teams met to create the Scar Board which was modeled after interdisciplinary tumor boards. Scar Board Members Burn MD team, Plastic Surgery MD team , Senior Burn APC staff, Senior Burn PT/OT staff, Burn Outpatient Clinic Nurse Manager & Clinical Nurse Coordinator Results Pre-screened patients: 177 Presented patients : 53 Referred patients: 32 Method • Burn team identifies patient scar concerns and determines Scar Board candidates • Scar board meetings began November 2020 • Conducted bi-monthly on virtual platform • Cases presented using Power Point format, include patient medical information, images and/or videos highlighting areas of concern • Time allowed for interdisciplinary discussion and coordination regarding new and existing cases • Scar board members surveyed to assess process satisfaction On a scale of 1-5, 1= very dissatisfied 5= very satisfied survey participants ranked satisfaction with the SB process as a 4 Conclusions Scar Board meetings have been beneficial in increasing communication, care coordination and efficiency of placing referrals between the Burn and Plastic Surgery Teams. The survey results demonstrate that participants support this patient care model. Applicability of Research to Practice This patient case review model can be utilized in other institutions to improve communication and collaboration between multidisciplinary service teams. Funding for the Study None University of Utah Burn Center