Final answer:
Burn patients with less than 10% of the total body surface area affected generally do not need specialized treatment; the severity of burns is categorized by degrees, with fourth-degree burns being the most serious.
Step-by-step explanation:
Burn patients with burns affecting less than 10% of the total body surface area typically do not require specialized treatment. The measurement of the size of a burn is often calculated using the "rule of nines," which is a system that relates various parts of the body to a percentage of total body area based on multiples of nine. The severity of burns is classified into degrees, with first-degree burns being the least severe and fourth-degree burns being the most severe, affecting not only all layers of the skin but also the underlying muscle and bone.