First aid knowledge and practices for burn injuries in Turkey: A cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health
• Burn Care Research

Background:

• Effective burn first aid is crucial for reducing injury severity and improving patient outcomes.
• Prevalence of traditional, non-evidence-based burn first aid practices remains a significant challenge globally.
• Understanding these practices among individuals with prior burn experience is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate burn first aid knowledge and practices in individuals with a history of burn injury in Turkey.
• To identify factors associated with the utilization of traditional burn first aid methods.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 506 adults with a history of burn injury.
• Data collection via an online structured questionnaire on demographics, knowledge, practices, and information sources.
• Logistic regression analysis to determine predictors of traditional practice use.

Main Results:

• Over half (51.0%) of participants used traditional interventions like oils, Aloe vera, or dairy products.
• Despite training, only 44.7% felt knowledgeable, and 41.1% applied correct cooling methods.
• Healthcare professionals (OR=1.89) and those without first aid training (OR=1.85) were more likely to use traditional practices.

Conclusions:

• Inappropriate traditional burn first aid practices persist, even among healthcare professionals.
• Knowledge alone is insufficient; interventions must address behavior and culturally ingrained practices.
• Future burn first aid strategies should prioritize behavior modification over mere knowledge dissemination.