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First‐aid management of minor burns in children: a prospective study of children presenting to the Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney
Author(s) -
McCormack Rebecca A,
La Hei Erik R,
Martin Hugh C O
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05038.x
Subject(s) - medicine , minor (academic) , first aid , health professionals , emergency department , prospective cohort study , family medicine , occupational safety and health , suicide prevention , injury prevention , medical emergency , poison control , emergency medicine , health care , nursing , surgery , pathology , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Objective: To identify the adequacy of first aid care following minor burns in children. Design: Prospective case series. Setting: Emergency Department and Acute Wound Clinic, the Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW), Sydney. Participants: 109 children who presented with minor burns (10% body surface area or less) to CHW over the five months from 2 November 1998 to 23 March 1999. Main outcome measures: Comparison of the adequacy of first aid delivered by parents and carers, general practitioners, local hospitals, and CHW. Results: Burns included scalds, contact, flame, chemical or electrical burns. Adequate initial first aid had been given by parents or carers in only 24 of 109 cases (22%). The 85 children who presented to medical care after inadequate initial first aid was given by parents or carers included 14 of 14 (100%) who had presented to their general practitioner (GP), 22 of 31 (71%) who had presented to their local hospital, 22 of 38 (58%) who had presented to CHW, and 2 of 2 (100%) who had had first contact with other health professionals. Conclusions: This study shows that there is a need to educate parents and health professionals regarding appropriate first aid for burns.