Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Electrical Burns.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Injury Prevention
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Electrical burns pose significant morbidity and mortality risks globally.
• Effective burn prevention programs are crucial for public health.
• Understanding population-specific knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding electrical burns in the Saudi Arabian population.
• To identify specific areas of knowledge gaps and misconceptions related to electrical burn injuries and their prevention.
• To inform the development of targeted community awareness strategies.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 2314 participants in Saudi Arabia.
• A five-part questionnaire assessed demographics, electrical burn knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices.
• Statistical analysis was used to evaluate the collected data.

Main Results:

• Over 90% of participants demonstrated correct knowledge on general electrical burn facts, but lower accuracy was observed for tissue damage (74%) and arc-related injuries (29%).
• Only 54% correctly identified that appropriate home first aid improves outcomes; a significant portion (46%) were unaware or believed it would not.
• A history of electrical burns was reported by 36% of respondents.
• Primary information sources included schools (38.9%) and social media (20.8%).

Conclusions:

• While general knowledge of electrical burns is relatively high in Saudi Arabia, specific understanding of injury severity and first aid requires enhancement.
• Community awareness campaigns, leveraging educational institutions and social media, are essential for improving electrical burn prevention.
• Targeted educational strategies can effectively reduce the incidence and impact of electrical burn injuries.