High rate of negligence induced burns in children: A rising cause for concern of the world's burn community

Abstract

One of the most important causes of death in burn patients is burn [1-10]. Accurate evaluation, timely diagnosis, and proper treatment of burn patients can reduce their mortality rate [11-21]. On the other hand, one of the most important causes of injury among children aged 1 to 15 is burns [22]. Usually, children and teenagers are more vulnerable in burn injuries than other age groups [23]. Severe burns can affect children's health both in the acute stage of burns and in the later stages of their lives [24]. Burns in children often occur due to injuries caused by hot liquids. The mechanism of burns among children can be due to exploratory behaviors without understanding the dangers in the environment [25]. Most burn injuries are due to accidental causes, but in some cases, it can be due to negligence in children [22]. It is difficult to distinguish whether the burn was accidental or caused by negligence [24]. Burn hospitalizations and deaths due to negligent burns are more than accidental burns. The interesting point is that some cases of children's burn injuries can be due to misbehavior and negligence that were not diagnosed at the time of admission. Identifying these people is important because preventive efforts by health care teams for children are necessary [22]. Hence, most negligence induced burns in children are preventable because negligence and carelessness are the main causes of burns in them [24]. The consequences of negligence induced burns in children can have physical, mental, and emotional effects on children and their families [23]. Burn scars often persist after healing and lead to functional and aesthetic problems [24]. On the other hand, psychological care after burns should be considered; because, children experience a high level of acute stress, anxiety, and depression after burns, and hospitalization can be scary for children [23]. The negative consequences of negligence induced burns in children in the long term can lead to chronic diseases in childhood and even adulthood. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the timely prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of negligence induced burns in children [22]. However, previous evidence regarding negligence induced burns in children is very limited. Hence, one study showed that 56% of burns in children were due to negligence [24].