• Dr. Prince Annadurai

This paper is based on our field work placement experience in Burns Ward at a Government Medical College Hospital in Chennai. It focuses on the opportunities, constraints and rehabilitation along with the impact of social work expertise at burns ward while working with the victims, families and their collateral contacts. What is significant in our observation is that the social workers need relevant cultural competency in understating gender perspectives during the entire process of social work interventions. More quality time is needed to work with victims and other significant members in their psycho social network in order to understand the causes, consequences and outcomes. It cut across the age of the victims, occupations, socio economic conditions, behaviour and personality of the all persons involved. Alcoholism and addiction behaviour of the victims as well as the perpetrators have to be taken into consideration while dealing with the assessment, diagnosis and interventions. Burn injuries can be highly complex, often involving injuries related to self-immolation, domestic violence and other criminal elements or events. The social worker will often be required to spend more time with burn-injured patients, their families and various external agencies and support services to ensure that patients’ needs are met and their rights in terms of legal, financial and insurance matters explained. A burn injury is a traumatic, painful and potentially life-changing event for patients and their families. The impact of a burn injury on a patient and their family is enormous. The psychosocial support and assistance provided by social work is therefore a vital part of the holistic, multidisciplinary care delivered in a burns unit setting. A patient with a burn injury may go through various physical, psychological and emotional stages while receiving treatment. A patient’s family and support network may also experience different emotions and needs as the patient reaches different stages of treatment and ability. The burns treatment process may be long-term, painful and extremely complex and extensive – even following a patient’s discharge from an acute care burns unit. A social worker working in this area needs to be aware of the possible physical and psychological impacts on patients and family members alike. A burn injury can be a life altering event. Trauma and grief and loss responses, scarring, disfigurement and self-esteem and return to their family, community and work place all need to be assessed and responded to by the social worker.

burns survivors, social work intervention

"THE BURDEN OF THE BURNT: PRACTICE OF MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK WITH BURN VICTIMS - AN EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEY ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 3, page no.450-457, March-2020, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2003071.pdf

"THE BURDEN OF THE BURNT: PRACTICE OF MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK WITH BURN VICTIMS - AN EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEY ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 3, page no. pp450-457, March-2020, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2003071.pdf