Prevalence of Acute Pediatric Burns in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Introduction: Burn injury is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in children worldwide. Mortality is higher in developing countries than in developed ones. Most of them occur in predictable domestic settings and can be prevented. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of acute pediatric burns in a hospital setting.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the secondary data of burn cases admitted during the years 2016 AD to 2018 AD in a tertiary care hospital after taking ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Committee (IRC No. 016-2019). The sample size was calculated and systematic random sampling was done. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 23. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data.

Results: The prevalence of acute pediatric burns at the hospital was found to be 101 (29.71%) (24.85-34.57 at 95% Confidence Interval). The majority of them were males 54 (53.47%) and toddlers 39 (38.61%). Scalding 54 (53.47%) was the main etiology. Most of the burn injuries occurred inside the house 76 (75.25%) and on November 11 (10.9%). The mortality rate was 11 (10.89%).

Conclusions: The prevalence of acute pediatric burns in a hospital setting was lower than most other countries but mortality was higher. The majority of the burn injuries occurred inside the house. Therefore, special focus should be done on prevention at the household level. Adequate medical services for emergency management of childhood burns should be available in different parts of the country.