Francoise Mukagaju1, Lotta Velin2, Elizabeth Miranda3, Ian Shyaka4, Yves Nezerwa4, Charles Furaha4, Faustin Ntirenganya5, Robert Riviello6, Laura Pompermaier7. 1. Plastic surgery department, Rwanda Military Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda.. Electronic address: mgajufanny@gmail.com. 2. Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund, Sweden. 3. Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. 4. Plastic surgery department, Rwanda Military Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda. 5. Plastic Surgery Department, University Teaching Hospital Kigali (CHUK), Kigali, Rwanda; Department of Surgery, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda. 6. Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. 7. Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Hand Surgery, Plastic Surgery and Burns, and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Burns are a global public health concern, with the majority of the disease burden affecting low- and middle-income countries. Yet, as suggested by previous publications, there is a widespread belief that literature about burns in low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to assess with a scoping review, the extent of the literature output on burns in East Africa, and to investigate patient demographics, injury characteristics, treatment and outcomes, as reported from the existing publications. METHODS: Studies discussing burns in East Africa were identified by searching PubMed / Medline (National Library of Medicine), EMBASE (Elsevier), Global Health Database (EBSCO), and Global Index Medicus on December 12, 2019. Controlled vocabulary terms (i.e., MeSH, EMTREE, Global Health thesaurus terms) were included when available and appropriate. No year restrictions were applied. RESULTS: A total of 1,044 records were retrieved from the database searches, from which 40 articles from 6 countries published between 1993 and 2019 were included in the final review. No studies were found from five East African countries with the lowest GDP. Most papers focused on pediatric trauma patients or tertiary hospital settings. The total number of burn patients recorded was 44,369, of which the mean proportion of males was 56%. The most common cause of injury was scalds (61%), followed by open flame (17%). Mortality rate ranged from 0-67%. The mean length of stay in hospital was between 9-60 d. CONCLUSIONS: Burn data is limited in the East African region, with socio-economically weak countries being particularly underrepresented. This scoping review has identified the largest set of literature on burns in East Africa to date, indicating the importance of reviewing data at a regional or local level, as "global" studies tend to be dominated by high-income country data. Data collection in specific registries is needed to better characterize the exact burden of burn injuries in East Africa.
BACKGROUND: Burns are a global public health concern, with the majority of the disease burden affecting low- and middle-income countries. Yet, as suggested by previous publications, there is a widespread belief that literature about burns in low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to assess with a scoping review, the extent of the literature output on burns in East Africa, and to investigate patient demographics, injury characteristics, treatment and outcomes, as reported from the existing publications. METHODS: Studies discussing burns in East Africa were identified by searching PubMed / Medline (National Library of Medicine), EMBASE (Elsevier), Global Health Database (EBSCO), and Global Index Medicus on December 12, 2019. Controlled vocabulary terms (i.e., MeSH, EMTREE, Global Health thesaurus terms) were included when available and appropriate. No year restrictions were applied. RESULTS: A total of 1,044 records were retrieved from the database searches, from which 40 articles from 6 countries published between 1993 and 2019 were included in the final review. No studies were found from five East African countries with the lowest GDP. Most papers focused on pediatric traumapatients or tertiary hospital settings. The total number of burn patients recorded was 44,369, of which the mean proportion of males was 56%. The most common cause of injury was scalds (61%), followed by open flame (17%). Mortality rate ranged from 0-67%. The mean length of stay in hospital was between 9-60 d. CONCLUSIONS: Burn data is limited in the East African region, with socio-economically weak countries being particularly underrepresented. This scoping review has identified the largest set of literature on burns in East Africa to date, indicating the importance of reviewing data at a regional or local level, as "global" studies tend to be dominated by high-income country data. Data collection in specific registries is needed to better characterize the exact burden of burn injuries in East Africa.
Authors: Joan Atuhaire; Jonathan Kajjimu; Javilla Kakooza Kamya; Grifance Opio; Frank Lubega; Reagan Kakande; William Mwanje; Andrew Tagg Journal: BMC Nurs Date: 2022-09-21