881 Content Evaluation of First Aid Information of Burn Centre Websites Worldwide

Abstract While the internet is an invaluable resource for both patients and healthcare providers in the management of burns, websites are often unregulated and highly variable in the quality of their content. Burns centres are in the unique position of possessing presumed reputability amongst the public. It is therefore imperative that their websites provide information that is consistent in its content, through a format that is accessible and coherent. In this study, we aimed to evaluate first aid websites of burns centres in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This study highlights the importance of the leadership role that these centres should possess online. A multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study was performed over a period of two years (October 2020 to July 2022). Each centre’s website was evaluated using a 10-point scoring system to assess burns first aid content accuracy. The content was evaluated using a scoring system by Burgress et al, that is based on the basic burns first aid principles of “stop, remove, cool and cover”. 188 burn centres across the stated countries were included. The country with the highest average score was Australia & New Zealand (5), followed by the USA (2.89), Canada (1.78) and the UK & Ireland (2.89). The consistency of content and quality of these resources remains an area for potential improvement and should be considered in the future design of such websites. The most common step missed in burn first aid was to keep victims warm to prevent hypothermia.