Investigating burn cases, knowledge, attitudes and practices to burn care and prevention in Ethiopia: a community-survey

Abstract

Background Burn injuries are thought to be preventable but are still a prevalent global health problem, especially in low- and middle- income countries, including Ethiopia. According to the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey report, burn injuries represent 8.7% of all significant injuries in Ethiopia. Such injuries result in catastrophic consequences for patients; to reduce this burden of injury, we need to ensure that future community-based burn prevention and treatment interventions are effective, available and evidence based. The main objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and causes of burn injuries as well as the knowledge, attitude and practice towards burns of community members to create an evidence base for improving basic burn care services focusing on prevention. Methods This cross sectional study was conducted in three districts (Dembiya, Limu Genet and Tula) found in Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) regional states. 651 households were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling method. Results The survey team asked households if anyone in the selected household had experienced a burn injury within the past 12 months; 3.5% of these households reported a burn injury (using WHO definition), which was equivalent to 0.7% of all individuals from the surveyed households. Of the individuals who experienced a burn, the majority were female (14 of 23, 60.9%) and children under five (14 of 23, 60.9%); households with a separate ‘house’ for cooking had an 85.9% reduction in their chances of experiencing a burn injury. The main causes of burn injuries were heat, flame and hot liquid water (89.7%) and all 23 burn injuries occurred at home. A significant number of community members still used traditional practices to treat a burn injury, like applying dough and oil. Conclusions This research highlights the importance of improving community awareness and knowledge on burn prevention methods, with recognition that women and children are high risk groups. The research also demonstrates the need to develop the capacity of health facilities at all levels, through appropriate training and resources, to enable them to provide quality health care service to the community.