Minor burn injuries in adults presenting to the regional burns unit in Western Australia: A prospective descriptive study

This study highlights a number of important issues. The over representation of metropolitan patients coupled with the low numbers of aboriginal patients reinforces the need for rural burns education. The best service we can provide is education on burns prevention and primary management. There are a number of other areas we hope to address in the future, the high incidence of domestic accidents, home safety must be a priority, coupled with seasonal promotional campaigns to address issues such as car radiator injuries. The most striking, and perhaps the most worrying finding in this study is the poor application of basic first aid principles. This is something that is unacceptable, needs further investigation and the lack of basic knowledge needs to be addressed at all levels of the community.