LOOPS

What is the problem?

Scalds are very common in children – 30 children a day are burned by hot drinks, and many more suffer scalds from other sources like hot taps or steam. These injuries are painful and carry a risk of lifelong scarring. But despite their prevalence, we don’t know a lot about the best way to treat these injuries to reduce scarring.  

We know from other studies that a child’s genetic make-up (their genes) likely affects whether they scar well or poorly. If we knew that a child had genes that would result in a poor scar, then we could target treatment differently for these children.  

Separately, some patients and families struggle to adjust to having a scar. Suffering a scald can be traumatic for both children and carers, and we have little information on how scarring affects how families feel over time. Knowing more about the psychological impacts of scalds and scars means that better support could be offered to people we know might struggle to adapt. 

What did the researchers do? 

The best way to answer these questions – what genes affect scarring in children? and what effects do scald scars have on families? – would be to hold a longitudinal cohort study. This type of study would collect information from children with small area scalds, including genetic samples and lifestyle information. This would give researchers a large dataset to comb through, making it easier to spot patterns and pinpoint risk factors for bad scarring and emotional distress. 

But this type of study is a big undertaking – it takes many years, involves thousands of patients, and costs millions of pounds to run. Researchers need to be sure it will work and be valuable before committing to such a big project. 

LOOPS was set up to find out whether a cohort study like this would be feasible. 

It was split into 6 objectives, each answering one main question: 

• Learning: How have other burn cohort studies been set up and managed? 

• Acceptability: Will patients and parents be willing to take part? 

• Recruitment numbers: Can we recruit enough participants? 

• Data Collection: What outcomes should we measure in the full study? 

• Practicality: What information should we collect? 

• Implementation: How would we manage and fund the full study? 

The researchers interviewed parents, held workshops, analysed data, and worked with health professionals to answer these questions. 

What did the researchers find? 

The feasibility study was a great success. Through their research, the team developed a list of principles for a full study in the future, including: 

• Methods 
• Which children would be eligible 
• What outcomes would be measured 
• When patients and children would be approached 
• What information would be collected

Find a full list of outcomes of this feasibility study in the Final Report, available here. 

What difference will this research make? 

LOOPS lays the groundwork for a full longitudinal cohort study on small area scalds in children. It proves that there is a need for this research, and that professionals, researchers, and parents are willing to get involved.  

The full study, when it comes, will make a huge difference to our understanding of how children scar and the affect it has on them and their caregivers as they grow up.