Implementing Evidence-Based Burn First Aid in a Low-Resource Community: A Brief Report on Culturally Adapted Education

Introduction. Burn injuries are a common source of preventable morbidity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In many communities, burn first aid is influenced by generational traditions and locally available topical remedies, which can replace or delay effective cooling with water recommended in evidence-based guidance. Programme Approach. This brief report presents Burn Prevention and Treatment Education (BPTE), a culturally adapted burn first aid education programme implemented through a community clinic in a Southeast Asian LMIC. BPTE was intentionally designed as a low-technology intervention for contexts with limited electricity and variable access to running water, using short teaching scripts, visual aids, and repeated reinforcement strategies. Implementation Observations. The programme core message (“Cool, Call, Cover”) was refined through iterative adaptations to improve feasibility and comprehension. Adaptations included using hand water pump imagery to represent water access, practical water collection guidance to address contamination concerns, and continuous clinic-based reinforcement through large printed tarpaulins displayed at the clinic gate. Conclusions. BPTE illustrates how evidence-based burn first aid education can be translated into feasible, culturally acceptable actions in resource-limited settings. While clinical endpoints were not systematically collected, the report provides implementation-focused insights into barriers, adaptation strategies, and sustainable delivery channels. Future evaluation should integrate structured documentation of first aid actions and escalation patterns to support impact measurement.