Barriers and facilitators to burn first aid practice in the prehospital setting: A qualitative investigation amongst emergency medical service clinicians

Maleea D Holbert; Roy M Kimble; Kerrianne Watt; Bronwyn R Griffin

doi:10.1016/j.burns.2023.12.001

Barriers and facilitators to burn first aid practice in the prehospital setting: A qualitative investigation amongst emergency medical service clinicians

Burns. 2024 Apr;50(3):674-684. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2023.12.001. Epub 2023 Dec 5.

Authors

Maleea D Holbert¹, Roy M Kimble², Kerrianne Watt³, Bronwyn R Griffin⁴

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Children's Burns and Trauma Research, Centre for Children's Health Research, South Brisbane 4101, Queensland, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4067, Queensland, Australia; Faculty of Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: m.holbert@griffith.edu.au.
² Centre for Children's Burns and Trauma Research, Centre for Children's Health Research, South Brisbane 4101, Queensland, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4067, Queensland, Australia; Pegg Leditschke Children's Burns Centre, Queensland Children's Hospital, South Brisbane 4101, Queensland, Australia.
³ Information Support, Research & Evaluation, Office of the Medical Director, Queensland Ambulance Service, Kedron 4031, Queensland, Australia; College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4810 Queensland, Australia.
⁴ Centre for Children's Burns and Trauma Research, Centre for Children's Health Research, South Brisbane 4101, Queensland, Australia; Faculty of Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Queensland, Australia; Pegg Leditschke Children's Burns Centre, Queensland Children's Hospital, South Brisbane 4101, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 38065804
DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2023.12.001

Abstract

First aid cooling for burn injuries improves re-epithelialisation rates and reduces scarring. The objective of this research was to explore and describe barriers and facilitators to the provision of optimal first aid for acute burn patients in the prehospital setting. Emergency medical service (EMS) clinicians in Queensland were invited via email to participate in a survey designed to assess experience, knowledge, and attitudes regarding provision of optimal burn first aid in the prehospital setting (N = 4500). Barriers and facilitators to administering optimal first aid in the prehospital environment were assessed via two open-ended questions with free-text response boxes. An inductive approach to qualitative content analysis was used to analyze free-text data. In total, we included 326 respondents (7.2% response rate). Responses (n = 231) regarding barriers to first aid were classified into 12 categories, within five overarching dimensions. The most common of these was identified as pain. Similarly, free text responses (n = 276) regarding facilitators of burn first aid formed eight dimensions with 21 subcategories - most commonly fast and effective pain relief. Factors influencing burn first aid provision in the prehospital setting were wide-ranging and varied, with pain identified as the most prominent.

Keywords: Acute pain; Burns; Emergency medical services; First aid; Pain management; Prehospital care.

MeSH terms

Burns* / therapy
Emergency Medical Services* / methods
First Aid
Humans
Pain
Pain Management / methods