Paper Title
Study on Social Causes of Burns Injury in Thoothukudi Region
Abstract
India, the second most populous country in the world with over a billion people has an estimated annual burn
incidence of 6-7 million, based on data from major hospitals when extrapolated to whole of the country, which is the second
largest group of injuries after road accidents. India contributes between 163000 and 200 000 annual burn deaths to the global
toll. The high incidence is attributed to illiteracy, poverty and low level safety consciousness in the population. Many of such
burns injury are preventable. To study the problem is first step in planning preventive and management strategies.
In this study of social causes of burns injury, the various social causes for burns are studied from patients admitted to
Government Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital. A structured interview was conducted with patients or the relatives in the
burns ward using questionnaire and various details were collected.
The results obtained from the study are accidental burns injuries are the most common cause of burns injury, followed by
suicide, homicide, and rescue burns. Only education, knowledge and application of knowledge while handling fire and related
substances can prevent the occurrences of burn injuries. Further improving the literacy rate to 100%, improving the
socioeconomic status of whole country, appropriate use of fire safety measures could bring down the incidence of burns.
Index Terms— Burns, Injuries, Preventive, Safety Measures, Socioeconomic.