Paediatric burn prevention: an epidemiological approach

To study the mechanism of burn in hospitalized paediatric burn patients in order to develop a focused burn prevention campaign.

Acute paediatric burn patients were identified from the unit admission records. Detailed medical records were reviewed to identify the key demographic and management information including the country of residence, age, gender, extent of injury, specific treatment and hospital stay. Parents were then contacted to provide detailed information about the mechanism of the accident, first aid given, living density and parent's educational level.

Two hundred and eighty-four admissions were identified in a 5-year period. Two hundred and twenty-four of these patients came from a defined regional population served by the hospital. The median age of patients was 3 and male to female ratio 1:0.74. The most common age group for burns was 1-2 years. The most common type of burns were scalds. Domestic burns accounted for 84.7% of admissions. Median burn area was 4% of the total body surface area with a range of 0.2-45%. Fifty percent of patients had no first aid treatment prior to presentation at the hospital. More accidents happened in homes with a high living density and the majority of parents had both completed secondary education. The most dangerous location in the house was the living room, followed by the bathroom, kitchen then bedroom. The majority of burns were related to hot drinks, followed by hot food and then bathing.

Detailed investigation of burn incidents can reveal repeated mechanisms of injury, which direct the focus of preventive strategies.