Community burn prevention in action

The Centre for Global Burn Injury Policy and Research (CGBIPR) and Interburns has completed a three year project in Ethiopia, Nepal and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) to research and implement interventions to improve burn care and prevention in low resource settings. Initial results are extremely encouraging. In Nepal, no burns were recorded in any of the three project districts in the final year of the project.

While each setting threw up different challenges which requiring tailored approaches, key steps to implementing successful burn prevention programmes can be adapted in many other countries.

In each case, community surveys collected data on the incidence and severity of burns, as well as Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP). Results, which highlighted high risk groups as well as different local beliefs around first aid, were used to create context-specific burn prevention and burn care activities.

The project supported uptake of these interventions, as well as burn prevention and first aid training programmes such as Basic Burn Care (BBC) for primary health workers and Community Burn Prevention training for volunteers.

See an overview of these projects below. Also see the Resources page for links to a practical Handbook on First Aid for Burns and published research.

Community Prevention: Ethiopia

Community Prevention: Nepal

Community Prevention: OPT

With thanks to project partners: Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), SAGUN, Nepal and AMREF Health Africa (Ethiopia) as well as to funders the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).