Knowledge level on the management of pediatric burn patients among physicians working in the emergency department

BACKGROUND: Prognosis of burned child is heavily influenced by how they are treated in the first 24 h. This study aimed to assess the degree of knowledge of emergency department physicians about the pediatric burn patients. METHODS: The study included 229 physicians (80 emergency medicine specialists, 84 pediatricians, and 65 general practitioners). The questions were organized into six categories, each based on the Turkish Ministry of Health's Burn Treatment Algorithm, American Burn Association criteria, and current literature: 1 - Etiology and Degree of Burn, 2 - Emergency Medical Intervention, 3 - Calculation of Burn Area and Fluid-electrolyte Treatment, 4 - Indications for Hospitalization in Burn Treatment Units, 5 - Judicial and Medical Liability, and 6 - Training Sufficiency and Demand for Burn Injury Training. Questionnaire form was sent to the participants through the WhatsApp application. The outcomes were rated as 75-100% good, 50%-75% moderate, and <50% poor. RESULTS: The overall knowledge level of physicians about pediatric burns was moderate, with a score of 57.65 +/- 10.13 (emergency medicine specialists: 60.11, pediatricians: 57.56, and general practitioners: 54.75). Emergency medical intervention scores (35.02 +/- 22.43) and burn treatment units and hospitalization indications scores (38.6 +/- 18.96) were both low. Despite having a statistically significant higher medical intervention score than the pediatricians and general practitioners, the knowledge level of the emergency medicine specialists was poor. CONCLUSION: As result, physicians practicing in the emergency department have a poor knowledge level about pediatric burns. Hence, pediatric burn education should be provided to all emergency department physicians.