IMPACT OF AWARENESS-RAISING CAMPAIGN ON PREVENTION OF PYROTECHNIC-RELATED HAND INJURIES IN NORTH MACEDONIA DURING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

Authors

  • Stefania Azmanova University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Gordana Georgieva 1University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Marija Spasova University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Gjorgi Stavrikj University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Eliza Zhogovska University Clinic for Plastic aFaculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Ermira Hamzai University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Jasmina Dobrevska University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Tamara Gjorgjevska University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Emilija Paskoska University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Sofija Pejkova University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Katerina Jovanovska University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Sofija Tusheva University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Anita Damcheska University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Sara Hadzitrifon University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Darko Aleksovski University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Blagoja Srbov University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
  • Renata Kochoska University Clinic for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia

Keywords:

firecrackers, adolescents, hand injury, surgery, PPH awareness campaign

Abstract

Firecrackers and other pyrotechnic materials are used worldwide to celebrate national, religious, cultural festivals and holidays. In our country the use of firecrackers is usually during the holiday season, particularly during New Year's and Christmas days. The majority of users of firecrackers are adolescents who want to make the celebration more exciting, not being aware of the harmful effects and severe injures they can get by using pyrotechnics. The injuries caused by using pyrotechnics can vary from moderate such as first or second-degree burns to severe injuries like traumatic amputation of the fingers and hand, resulting in life-long mutilation. These injuries are expected to have long-term functional and psychological sequalae.

Our clinic started an awareness-raising campaign on prevention of pyrotechnic-hand injuries (PPH campaign) named "Don't let the firecrackers ruin your holidays”. The aim of this article is to present the impact of our PPH campaign in awareness raising against the use of pyrotechnic explosives and prevention of severe hand injuries by educating 15-16-year-old students about the dangers of using pyrotechnics and emphasizing the complexity of the hand and its importance in everyday life.

We used an anonymous questionnaire in order to see what was the impact of our presentation and discussions on students during the PPH campaign. From our 5-year experience with this type of campaign, we can see that awareness campaigns gave excellent results in decreasing the number of hand injuries. Therefore, our goal is this PPH awareness–raising campaign to be organized every year for generations to come.

References

Tandon R, Agrawal K, Narayan RP, Tiwari VK, Prakash, Kumar S, et al. Firecracker injuries during Diwali festival: The epidemiology and impact of legislation in Delhi. Indian J Plast Surg 2012; 45(1): 97-101. v.45(1). doi: 10.4103/0970-0358.96595.

Cardin S, Faber R, Miller D, Gibson ME, Lewellyn B. Encouraging Firework Safety Through Public Service Announcements. J Hand Surg Am 2022; 47(6): 574-578. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2021.11.030.

Brockhus L, Hämmerli N, Boviatsis K, Exadaktylo A, Tappeiner C, Klukowska-Rötzle J. [Hazard or Harmless Fun? Injuries Caused by Fireworks-Study at the University Emergency Department (2013-2019)]. Praxis 2021; 110(6): 336-347. doi:10.1024/166 1-8157/a003628.

Kon M. Firework injuries to the hand. Ann Chir Main Memb Super 1991; 10(5): 443-477. doi: 10.1016/s0753-9053(05)80456-9.

MacKenzie DN, Green JA, Viglione W. Firecraker injuries to the hand. Med J Aust 2001; 174(5): 231-232. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2001.tb143245.x.

Philipson MR, Southern SJ. The blast component of firework injuries - not to be underestimated. Injury 2004; 35(10): 1042-1043. doi: 10.1016/S0020-1383(03)00245-6.

Puri V, Mahendru S, Rana R, Deshpande M. Firework injuries: a ten-year study. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg 2009; 62(9): 1103-1111. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2007.12.080.

Lee RT. Fire-cracker injury to the eyes in Hong Kong. Br J Ophtalmol 1966; 50(11): 666-669. doi: 10.1136/bjo.50.11.666.

Edwin AFL, Cubison TC, Pape SA. The impact of recent legislation on paediatric firework injuries in the Newcastle upon Tyne region. Burns 2008; 34(7): 953-964. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2008.01.018.

Nizamoglu M, Frew Q, Tan A, Band H, Band B, Barnes D, et al. The ten-year experience of firework injuries treated at a uk regional burns & plastic surgery unit. Ann Burns Fire Disasters. 2018; 31(1): 13-16. PMID: 30174565; PMCID: PMC6116645.

Ortiz R, Ozkan S, Chen CN, Eberlin RK. Firework Injuries of the Hand: An Analysis of Treatment and Health Care Utilization. Hand 2020; 15(6): 831-836. doi: 10.1177/1558944 719829905.

Galet C, Slagel I, Froehlich A, Bobb M, Lilienthal M, Fuchsen E, et al. Firework injuries remain high in years after legalisation: its impact on children. Inj Prev 2022; 28(6): 553-559. doi: 10.1136/ip-2022-044616.

Jacobson L, Sandvall KB, Quistberg AD, Rowhani-Rahbar A, Vavilala SM, Friedrich BJ, et al. Severe Fireworks-Related Injuries: Demographic Characteristics, Injury Patterns, and Firework Types in 294 Consecutive Patients. Pediatr Emerg Care 2021; 37(1): e32-e36. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002302.

Sandvall KB, Keys AK, Friedrich BJ. Severe Hand Injuries From Fireworks: Injury Patterns, Outcomes, and Fireworks Types. J Hand Surg Am 2017; 42(5): 385.e1- 385.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2017.01.028.

Sandvall KB, Jacobson L, Miller AE Dodge ER, Quistberg AD, Rowhani-Rahbar A, et al. Fireworks type, injury pattern, and permanent impairment following severe fireworks-related injuries. Am J Emerg Med 2017; 35(10): 1469-1473. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2017. 04.053.

Downloads

Published

2023-06-16 — Updated on 2023-07-06

Versions

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2023): Acad Med J

Section

Original Articles