摘要
Background:Burn first aid awareness has been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality.We present a report on the knowledge and practices of the Saudi population with regard to burn first aid and the application of traditional remedies.Methods:An internet-based survey was conducted to assess the public’s knowledge on first aid practices and home remedies applied for burn injuries among Saudi adults.Results:A total of 2758 individuals responded to the survey.There were 1178(42.7%)respondents who had previously received burn first aid information.One thousand five hundred fifty respondents had a history of burn exposure in which burn injury first aid was applied as follows:1118(72.1%)removed clothing and accessories from the injured area;water was applied by 990(63.9%);among those who applied water,877(88.6%)applied cold water;and only 57(5.8%)did so for more than 15 min.Wrapping the burn area was performed by 526(33.9%),and 985(63.5%)sought medical assistance.When it comes to traditional remedies,2134(77.4%)knew of and/or implemented these remedies as first aid or to treat burns.Honey and toothpaste were the commonest among these remedies with 1491(69.9%)and 1147(53.7%),respectively.This was associated with female gender(r=0.87,P<0.001),younger age group(19–25 years)(r=0.077,P<0.001),from central region(r=0.012,P<0.001),and university graduate(r=0.05,P=0.002).Nearly half of those who knew of traditional remedies did not have previous knowledge of burn first aid.Conclusions:Proper burn first aid is a simple,cheap,and accessible means of managing burns initially.Although the majority of the respondents were university graduates(51.1%),knowledge and implementation of burn first aid was very poor.Major healthcare agencies should review and promote a consistent guideline for burn first aid in an effort to tackle and minimize the effect of this grave injury.
