Analysis of cost of dressings in the care of burn patients

This study aimed at analyzing the costs of material used in the occlusive dressings of burn patients. The subjects of the study were patients over the age of 18 years who were admitted to the Burns Unit of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School Clinical Hospital, University of São Paulo – Brazil, from 15 January to 11 September 1998. Data were collected concerning the costs and duration of bathing and dressing of these patients. We concluded that there was a positive relation between the real costs of the materials used and the percentage of the body surface burned. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the number of staff involved in care and the size of the burns. There was no significant difference between the cost of materials used in dressings for burns of different depths.