Background: Burns in children are not uncommon and can lead to significant complications that may be up to death. Rapid interventions and first aid measures could reduce the incidence of complications and reduce the skin's affected area by the burn. Accordingly, the good knowledge of parents toward burns in children is crucial. The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge and practice of parents in Abha and Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia, about the first aid for pediatric burn injuries.
Method: This is a cross-sectional survey study that was carried out by sending an online Arabic questionnaire to parents living in Abha and Khamis Mushait cities in Saudi Arabia to explore their knowledge and practice toward Pediatric burns. The survey included questions about parentsÂ’ demographics and questions related to pediatric burns. Data analysis was executed through statistical package for social science version 26.
Results: A total of 764 parents from Abha (56.2%) and Khamis Mushait (43.8%) participated in this study. Among them, 35.5% of the parents had children who had previous burns and 52% of the parents knew about the topic, where 22.5% had their information through social media. About a third of the responders did not know the degree of burn accompanied by fluid-filled blisters and the degree that is accompanied by dry, charred, and inflamed skin. More than half of the responders had good practices towards first aid for pediatric burns. Factors significantly contributing to high knowledge levels about first aid for pediatric burns are: age between 31 and 40 (p = 0.017), mothers (p = 0.001), living in Abha city (p = 0.019), having more than two children (p = 0.001) and attending previous first aid sessions (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Despite the low level of parents' knowledge toward first aid for pediatric burns, parents showed good practice toward the topic under investigation. Similar studies are suggested in other areas in Saudi Arabia.
Key words: Pediatric burns, first aid, knowledge, practice, Saudi Arabia
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