Abstract:Objective To observe the effect of implementing a specialized rehabilitation pathway for the treatment of deep burn hands after early escharectomy with autologous split thickness skin grafting surgery. Methods From January 2012 to December 2013, 43 adult patients with deep burn of hands were treated in the Department of Burn and Reconstructive Surgery in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. All the hands received early escharectomy with autologous split thickness skin grafting. The patitents were randomly divided into control group and experimental group. The patients in the control group were treated with routine nursing, rehabilitation education and burn consultation. A rehabilitation pathway was developed and used in the experimental group in four main areas including scar prevention, exercise and rehabilitation, health education and psychological support which were guided and implemented by special professionals; and regular telephone follow-up was made. Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate the hand function, scaring and psychological status of the patients in 1, 3 and 6 months after injury. Results The MHQ score was higher, while VSS score and SAS score were lower in the experimental group than in the control group 1, 3 and 6 months after injury (P < 0.01). Conclusions Implementation of the deep burn hand rehabilitation pathway can improve hand function, reduce scaring and improve the mental state of the patients.