Pediatric surgeon Dylan Stewart was not surprised when the letter from the American Burn Association (ABA) arrived in May. He knew the Pediatric Burn Center he directs at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center would be verified as an ABA burn program following its site visit in March 2018. Nonetheless, he was thrilled.

“This verification says we have reached the pinnacle as a pediatric burn unit, that we are among a dozen ABA verified pediatric burn programs that provide the highest level of burn care for children in the United States,” pronounced Stewart.

The site visit, Stewart notes, included an intensive review of the Children’s Center burn program and interviews with its multiple specialists who provide services for patients with burns. They included pediatric anesthesiologists and intensivists, general and plastic reconstructive surgeons, nurses experienced in treating burns, advanced practice nurses, clinical psychologists, physical and occupational therapists, and social workers.

The Pediatric Burn Center’s collaboration with emergency medicine and inpatient teams, and its nurse driven resuscitation protocol, were factors also recognized by the ABA. The burn center’s recently introduced scar program, which features laser therapy to reduce pain and contracture of hypertrophic burn scars, also impressed the ABA, as did its consortium approach to burn care and its child psychology program.

“They were most impressed with some very forward thinking initiatives, including our burn collaborative with five pediatric burn programs, in which we share best practices data and resources to improve burn care for children nationwide,” says Stewart. “Johns Hopkins Children’s Center has made a huge commitment to all of these services and programs, which have allowed us to meet the ABA’s rigorous standards as a dedicated pediatric burn center.”