Editor's Note: WoundSource's Editorial Advisory Board member Maria Goddard, MD, CWS, FAPWCA discusses safety tips for the American Burn Association's Annual Burn Awareness Week. View the vlog and transcript below!

Transcript:

Hello, everyone. My name is Dr. Maria Goddard, and I'm a burn fellowship trained wound care specialist in the State of Kansas. February 6th to the 12th marks the American Burn Association's Annual Burn Awareness Week. The topic for 2022 is burning issues in the kitchen. It is estimated that almost 50% of home fires are started when people have been cooking, and so, it's really important that we use some prevention techniques. One of my key tips is to always have a lid ready for your pans. This helps to prevent those splash burn injuries that can occur when you're cooking with grease, and also if your food happens to catch on fire, it can help with extinguishing that flame.

You want to remember to never add water to fires that have started in the kitchen. Also, because our patients who are older and are higher risk for having more severe burn wounds due to their thinner skin, you want to make sure that they're educated and advised to seek care as soon as possible. Remind them that any of those home remedies such as using butter, mayonnaise, or mustard are not a great idea because burn wounds carry a huge risk of infection, and also of scarring, if they're not treated appropriately early. I hope that you enjoyed these tips. Please share with your friends, and remember to be safe when you're cooking.