Burn rehabilitation: dimensions of the problem.

Recent improvements in the mortality rates of burned patients are attributed to the expansion of specialized burn centers. Satellite treatment areas with trained personnel need to be developed, located away from the burn center, and efforts should be made to increase the number of patient programs at existing burn centers. In addition, studies need to be conducted on cost consequences, hypertrophic scarring, peripheral and central nervous system involvement, musculoskeletal changes, sleep deprivation, and the comparison of various treatment techniques to determine what protocols provide the best treatment outcome.