Burn teams and burn centers: the importance of a comprehensive team approach to burn care.

Remarkable advances in burn care have been made over recent decades, and it is recognized that the organized efforts of burn teams are required to continue enhancing survival rates and quality of life for patients. Patients with major burns are unique, representing one of the most severe models of trauma, and therefore necessitate treatment in the best specialized facilities available for that endeavor. Burn centers have developed to meet these intricate needs but can only function most productively and efficiently through well-organized, multifaceted, patient-centered teams in the areas of both clinical care and research.