Citation

Dash S, Muthukumar V, Sharma S. J. Burn Care Res. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Burns, Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgery, VM Medical College & Safdarjung hospital, Delhi.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Burn Association, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1093/jbcr/iraa018

PMID

31996923

Abstract

Superstitious beliefs have been frequently encountered in our day to day practices among patients and caretakers. Though this is a common phenomenon, there is a paucity of data pertaining to these beliefs due to various reasons. Many of these beliefs are deep engraved into the culture and mindsets of the population. This is an observational study performed in Tertiary burn care centre in India during period 1st October 2018 to 31st January 2019. Data from 100 patient unit were collected through a set of questionnaires given to each of patient and their caregivers /family members and responses were collected and analysed. In the food category of superstitions, there was a thought that white colored foods had to be avoided to avoid pus discharge and wound healing in 60 percentage of the response; eating pomegranate or drinking the juice of pomegranate improves the hemoglobin in 80 percentage of the response. Wearing various colored strings in various parts of the body seemed to be a dominant practice in 85 percent of the responses, wearing the hair with origin from human, donkeys, horses and various animals were practiced in 45 percentage of people and wearing peacock feathers were seen in 40 percentage of patients. 95 percentages of the patients thought adversely to the idea of bathing or even contact of the water with the wounds. This study is an attempt to analyze the different parameters of superstition, misconception and magical beliefs.

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Language: en

Keywords

Beliefs; Burns; Superstition