Name: Noronisa D.

Cabugatan
Subject & Section: NSG125 - B

Self-Reflection

It has been said that there are an estimated 180 000 deaths every year that are caused
by burns – the vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries (World Health
Organization, 2018). The video presented implied how burns can be very damaging and can be
lethal. One thing I became fully aware of, is the danger burns have to our body which can
possibly cause death. I developed a realization that we must be very cautious when dealing with
fire, electric circuits, and even with the sun (e.g., severe sunburn) because burn incidents can
happen unpredictably originating from those.

Never in my previous years did I learn about electric burns. With the help of the video, I
gained an idea about electric burn and its effect. I have learned that the contact point of electric
burns is characterized by charred, centrally depressed, and leathery wounds. The patient
named Amy that shown in the video had an electric burn on her hands which caused her tissues
to be damaged. I initially had no idea how serious electric burns are, not until the video
mentioned that she underwent several operations to clean out damaged tissues. Even Amy’s
mother thought they were going to put ointment and then get discharged soon which was not
the case. She stayed in the hospital for days to be treated. One of her operations is called flap
graft which entails attaching her palm to her groin area to allow her hand to receive a blood
supply helping to regenerate nerves and tissue. After learning this information, it came to my
mind that we should be extra cautious in handling electric circuits and electric wires, to prevent
this serious type of burn from happening.

Upon watching the video on burn patients, I have come to realize how serious and lethal
burn incidents are. It reminded me of the time when I got burned by boiling water
unintentionally. I remember how painful it is as it burned half of my arm. As I recall, I was treated
using ointments and even put toothpaste on it because it is what they told me to do. The
toothpaste made the pain sensation even worse, so I cried very hard. My parents then sent me
to our neighbor which happens to be a healer to or what they refer to in Maranao as
“pamumulong”. The so-called healer uttered some words I do not recall, and she put spit on my
burned arm. I do not know whether it was effective or not. Maybe it somehow helped me feel
better because of the placebo effect. As I further watch the video, that experience immediately
came to my mind. It made me grasp how essential it is to get your burn checked by a specialist,
and how important it is to have basic knowledge on how to treat a burn at home. Safety should
always be the priority. It does not mean we should avoid faith healers. Rather, we should also
unhesitantly seek medical attention from healthcare professionals because they are the ones
who confidently know how to treat your burn effectively.