Assessment of The Capacity and Capability of burn centers to respond to Burn Disasters in Belgium. Mixed-Method study

Details

Supervisors

Debarati Guha-Sapir

Faculty

Faculté de santé publique

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de la santé publique

Abstract

Background Burn disaster is a defined as a massive influx of patients that exceed a burn center’s capacity and capability. Burn disasters, although uncommon, can be devastating to a healthcare system. The objective of this study is to investigate the capacity and capability of burn centers in Belgium to respond to a burn disaster. Method This is a mixed method study using both a quantitative survey and a qualitative semi-structured interview. The qualitative interviews were administered directly to the key informants of burn centers in Belgium. We compared the data collected from both methods to get a more in depth overview of the issue. The quantitative data is converted into a narrative and included in the thematic analysis of the qualitative data. Finally, the data from both methods were analyzed and organized into 5 themes: preparation & plan; command & communication, transfer & triage; capacity, capability, treatment; and training. Results The Belgian Burn Association of Injury (BABI) is the main stakeholder of burn disaster management in Belgium. The BABI plan designed in a way that makes all burn centers in Belgium respond as one entity once activated. Burn Team (B-team) is a professional team that could be composed at urgent need and it could be deployed to a scene or to non-burn hospitals to help in triage and consultation. Our review identified some challenges against burn disasters response in Belgium, particularly in the area of funding, triage, transfer, communication, and training. Conclusion There is a variation in the capacity and capability of burn centers in Belgium. The Belgian Association of Burn Injury plan is specific for pre-hospital management of massive burn casualty and was launched successfully in previous burn disasters. Overall, the burn disaster management system is developed in Belgium and it is comparable to the system in the developed countries. However, we believe that further improvement in the areas of preparation, triage, communication, and finally training would make disaster response more resilient in the future. Therefore, there is still space for further improvement of burn disasters response and management in Belgium.