Childhood Burn Prevention Poster, Kenya
Jess Medland1, 1Peninsula Health, Frankston, Victoria, Australia
Abstract
Background
Exposure to paediatric burns in rural Kenya as a volunteer Occupational Therapist, prompted the initiation of a community burns prevention program. “Mama Cynthia Kenya” hosts community workshops in collaboration local allied health professionals.
Aim
To Illustrate burns prevention strategies and basic first aid to prevent childhood burns in rural Kenya.
Methods
Review of literature on paediatric burns in Kenya, including the comparison of risks and protective considerations. Further evaluation of current strategies trialled in low to middle income countries (LMIC) and first aid recommendations. These form the updated educational poster for community burns prevention workshops in rural Kenya.
Result
The vast majority of paediatric burn injuries are unintentional and occur in an unsupervised home setting (Wanjeri, Kinoti & Olewe 2018). The leading cause of burns in Kenyan children is scalds, followed by flame burns, while contact, chemical and electrical burns occur in smaller numbers (Wanjeri, Kinoti & Olewe 2018). Risk factors observed in rural Kenyan homes are unique, with cooking at ground height a common practice. Scalds are often caused by hot water, tea, milk, porridge and soup. Ten key risk factors in a typical rural Kenyan home were identified and strategies incorporated into the updated Swahili burns prevention poster, including establishing a protective barrier around cooking fires. Due to widespread hazardous practices taking place such as applying oil to acute burns (Dale et al. 2013), simple first aid measures are demonstrated.
Conclusion
Burns prevention is better than a cure, especially when faced with poor access to acute treatment (Holmer et al. 2015) and the limitations of an under resourced health system in Kenya.
References can be supplied on request (limited by word count)
Biography
Dr Jess Medland is currently a Senior Plastics Resident at Peninsula Health. Prior to medicine she worked as a Hand Therapist and established a charitable organisation Mama Cynthia in rural Kenya. For over a decade Jess has focused on community burn prevention programs and improving post-operative rehabilitation.