University News Last updated 18 October 2016
An educational board game aimed at supporting training in emergency burn care for frontline healthcare professionals will launch this week.
‘The Burns Game’ has been developed by Focus Games Ltd. in partnership with the British Burn Association (BBA) and Birmingham City University.
Professor Steven Jeffery and Jane Leaver from the University’s Faculty of Health Education and Life Sciences were part of the team behind its development.
In England, approximately 130,000 people with burn injuries visit Emergency Departments each year and approximately 10,000 are admitted to hospital. Following a burn injury, patients receive immediate care from various emergency professionals, however, these professionals are often not burn specialists and may have had limited training in burn care.
‘The Burns Game’ aims to bridge this gap by increasing awareness and delivering knowledge and skills around burn management.
In traditional board game style, players move around the board and are presented with questions and scenarios. As a team, they must explore and discuss, allowing them to share knowledge and experiences.
The game covers topics such as first aid, airway and breathing, wound assessment, referral and transfer, and specialist burn injuries.
Professor Steven Jeffery, Head of Wound Study at Birmingham City University and Consultant Burns and Plastic Surgeon at The Birmingham Burns Centre, said:
Peter Drew, Chairman of British Burn Association said: “The Burns Game is an exciting and innovative way of broadening the knowledge base of anyone working with burn-injured patients.
“Everyone, from fire service personnel and first-aiders through to specialist hospital staff will find it challenging. The BBA is proud to have helped develop the game and hope players everywhere find it both educational and entertaining.”