National Burn Awareness Week is February 7-13. Sponsored by the American Burn Association, this annual event is an opportunity to bring much-needed attention to the prevention and treatment of burn-related injuries. Burn injury in workers’ compensation represents one of the most serious injury categories and requires very high levels of specialized care. As part of our mission to provide the best outcomes to critically injured workers, Paradigm has a robust network of clinical experts in place to facilitate burn injury treatment.  

We believe that strong clinical collaborations are fundamental to positive outcomes, and our relationship with the Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System (BHBIMS) reflects this in the burn injury treatment arena. Working closely with BHBIMS directly impacts our capacity to coordinate effective care for injured workers and also facilitates the long-term advancement of the entire field.  

Supporting a nationally recognized burn model system
Dr. Michael Choo, Chief Medical Officer for Paradigm, is proud to serve as an active advisory member for BHBIMS, while also helping to connect Paradigm patients to this larger community. A burn model system is a term for a network of hospitals and research institutions that work together to track the progress and outcomes of burn survivors. BHBIMS is one of four burn model systems funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

Burn model systems work to expand the clinical knowledge base by creating benchmarks for burn injury treatment and patient recovery, rehabilitation, and life adjustments. One of the most important ongoing projects for BHBIMS is a research initiative called Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE). The goal of LIBRE is to increase awareness of the impact burn injuries have on a patient’s recovery, including how they affect their relationships with others. LIBRE’s profile tool allows burn patients to monitor and better understand the social integration and engagement trajectory during their recovery from burn injuries.

Paradigm and BHBIMS both rely on data analysis and evidence-based practices throughout the burn injury treatment process to achieve the best possible functional recovery potential. Sharing knowledge and resources has allowed both organizations to improve outcomes for these patients and their families who are dealing with a burn injury in the workers’ compensation system. 

On February 4, 2021, Dr. Choo participated as the Keynote Speaker in the most recent Spaulding Tri-Model Systems webinar series. The event, Traumatic Injuries as Chronic Conditions, was co-sponsored by BHBIMS. It focused on the often-overlooked long-term problems caused by traumatic injuries. 

In his presentation, Dr. Choo shared Paradigm’s approach, which uses integrated and collaborative delivery models to improve outcomes related to catastrophic injuries. In addition, he discussed both the practice and policy implications of redefining these injuries as chronic conditions to improve clinical care and quality of life for those affected.

Help spread awareness for burn injury prevention and treatment
The 2021 theme for National Burn Awareness Week is “Electrical Safety from Amps to Zap (A to Z)!” Throughout the week, participants are invited to use #NBAW and add a letter to the alphabet for electrical safety. Paradigm will be raising awareness on our social media channels and you can support us by liking and sharing our posts. 

Learn more about Paradigm’s clinical collaborations across a wide range of specialties.