Acute burns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A one-year retrospective study of 611 patients at a referral burn centre in northern Iran

Patients with acute burns are more vulnerable to COVID-19 because of physiologically weak immune systems. This study aimed to assess and compare individual characteristics, clinical features, and clinical outcomes of acute burn among COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. A retrospective study, with data collected from 611 acute burn patients with or without a COVID-19 diagnosis referred to a burn centre in Iran. Data were collected from April 2020 to 2021. The mean age of acute burns patients with COVID-19 was higher compared with acute burns patients with non-COVID-19 (47.82 vs. 32.59 years, P < .001). Acute burns occurred more frequently in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities compared with non-COVID-19 patients (48.72% vs. 26.92%, P = .003). 58.97% of COVID-19 patients and 55.42% of non-COVID-19 patients had grade II & III and II burns, respectively (P < .001). The mean total body surface area of the burn was higher in COVID-19 patients compared with non-COVID-19 patients (32.69% vs. 16.22%, P < .001). Hospitalisation in the intensive care unit (ICU) was higher in COVID-19 patients than in non-COVID-19 patients (76.92% vs. 15.73%, P < .001). Length of stay in hospital and ICU, the cost of hospitalisation, and waiting time for the operating room was higher in COVID-19 patients compared with non-COVID-19 patients (15.30 vs. 3.88 days, P < .001; 9.61 vs. 0.75 days, P < .001; 30 430 628.717 vs. 10 219 192.44 rials, P = .011; 0.84 vs. 0.24 min, P < .001, respectively). Intubation and mortality in-hospital were higher in COVID-19 patients compared with non-COVID-19 patients (41.02% vs. 6.99%, P < .001; 35.90% vs. 6.12%, P < .001, respectively). Therefore, it is recommended that health managers and policymakers develop a care plan to provide high-quality care to acute burns patients with COVID-19, especially in low-income countries.

Information Seeking Behavior on COVID-19 Among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northern Iran

This study aimed to assess the information-seeking behavior about COVID-19 among older adults in northern Iran. Two hundred-fifty three older adults living in Rasht, northern Iran, were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Most older adults obtained information about COVID-19 from television, friends, and acquaintances. They relied less on special patient associations and the Ministry of Health telephone system. The use of social networks, the Ministry of Health telephone system, the Ministry of Health text message system, and friends and acquaintances for obtaining information about COVID-19 were significantly higher in people aged 60 to 70 years than in people aged >70 years. The use of newspapers/magazines to get information about COVID-19 was significantly higher in men than women. The use of websites, social networks, physicians, other health care workers, friends and acquaintances, newspapers/magazines, and special patients' associations for obtaining information about COVID-19 was significantly higher in people with tertiary education than in others. Older adults were more satisfied receiving information about COVID-19 from nurses and physicians. Therefore, it is recommended that policymakers and health managers pay special attention to developing health programs and social media programing to educate older adults about COVID-19 and access to the right media for accurate information.