BOSS-2

What is the problem?

Thanks to advances in medical science, more people who suffer from serious burn injuries survive than ever before.  

But more people surviving burn injuries means more people living with life-changing scarring. Despite the huge improvements in survival rates, research on scarring has not kept up.  

At the moment, studies into scarring are limited because it’s hard to compare how well different treatments work. There is not a reliable and objective way to measure scars before and after treatment.  

Typically, doctors use ‘scar questionnaires’ to measure how successful a treatment has been. This tool is a list of questions that the doctor and patient answer together. Topics include what the scar looks like, how it feels, and whether it affects how the patient feels about themselves. 

Scar questionnaires rely on opinions, rather than facts. Answers can vary doctor to doctor, study to study.  

What are the researchers doing? 

This project builds on the findings of another study called BOSS-1. In that study, researchers tested a range of special scar measuring tools on a small group of patients. They measured lots of things, including scar thickness, density, and flexibility. They also used standard scar questionnaires and took tissue samples from the scar. 

At the end of the study, the researchers felt like they had enough information to propose a global scar objective score – an objective way to measure the effectiveness of a scar treatment. 

The aim of BOSS-2 is to confirm the findings of BOSS-1. It is a larger study with more patients, meaning there will be more data available to help the researchers decide if their objective scale works.  

Similarly to BOSS-1, this study uses a variety of tools to measure aspects of scars as they mature. The researchers are also using subjective tools, like questionnaires, and taking tissue and blood samples.  

By the end of the study, the researchers will know whether their proposed global scar objective score is a reliable way to measure scars. They will also have a better idea of how objective markers, like scar thickness or what the scar tissue contains, relates to subjective markers, like what the scar feels like to the patient. 

What difference will this research make? 

The creation of a standardised panel of tools to measure scars will be a huge step forward for scarring research. If every study on scarring uses the same measurements, it will be much easier to compare treatments and figure out which ones work best for which patient.  

With better research, doctors can make better decisions – meaning people living with scarring can always get the care they need.