International Burn Disaster Nursing: Care, Commitment, Compassion, and Cost

Burn mass casualty incidents can overwhelm local resources, challenging effective communication, triage, and provision of care. International responders can help by providing education and direct patient care.

On November 5, 2021, a fuel tanker truck exploded in Freetown, Sierra Leone, killing or injuring hundreds of people. The needs of the severely burned survivors overwhelmed local resources, requiring an international response. Burn specialist teams from several countries, including the United States, were deployed to provide assistance.

Members of the US burn care team educated local health care practitioners about wound care, physical therapy, and fluid and pain management. Educational content was delivered through lecture and discussion, case studies, clinical application, and bedside teaching. Demonstration of cultural competence and humility, as well as attentiveness to nuances of local communication, helped avoid ethnocentrism and other barriers to collaboration. Public congratulations and formal completion certificates were used to provide meaningful recognition of successful class participation.

Before the lecture and discussion intervention, 57 students participating in a pretest assessment had an average score of 53.9% (high, 80%; low, 27.5%). After the intervention, 38 students participating in a posttest assessment had an average score of 79.3% (high, 95%; low, 55%), and local health care providers delivered care with more attention to patient comfort and shared new knowledge with colleagues.

Providing optimal burn care and education under austere conditions requires cultural humility and a spirit of inquiry. Attentiveness to communication and cultural nuances promotes collaboration, improves educational effectiveness, and builds local burn care capacity.