Fellowship in Burns Nutrition

Shamin, a nutritionist from Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, India, recently concluded a fellowship in burns nutrition at the Interburns Training Center, Choithram Hospital and Research Center, Indore. Mentored by our long-standing member of faculty, Pratibha Sharma, Shamin was extremely appreciative of the opportunity to enhance her knowledge and skills with expert support.

During the one-month fellowship, she worked closely with the burn team including nurses, surgeons, dieticians and therapists. She also met with burns survivors and saw the broad range of care on offer for burn patients, such as skin grafting and psychosocial support. This fueled Shamin with a greater sense of motivation and appreciation for all-round holistic care to address the physical and emotional needs of burn patients.

Shamin identified two areas in particular that will change her working practice: the importance of tailoring dietary plans to meet individual needs; and the value of good communication within the multidisciplinary team. 

Shamin also conducted a research project to assess knowledge of local healthcare staff about the management of basic nutrition for burn patients. This was used to develop a practical checklist to guide staff in providing optimal nutritional support to promote wound healing and prevent infection.

We would like to thank the team at Choithram Hospital and Research Centre, in particular Pratibha Sharma, Consultant Dietician, and Shobha Chamania, Consultant Surgeon, for extending their invaluable experience throughout the fellowship, also to Shamin for her enthusiasm and impressive work ethic. This was a unique experience which we hope will have a lasting impact on her work and we welcome her to the Interburns network.

For more details on Interburns fellowships please see: https://interburns.org/training/#training-fellowships