A comparison of the outcomes of two clinical audits of burn pressure garment satisfaction and compliance in Saudi Arabia

The treatment of burns is very important in Saudi Arabia given the high incidence of these injuries and the large proportion of children involved. Currently there are insufficient numbers of Saudi nationals to meet these and other health care needs, and consequently, a large investment in expatriate health care workers continues to be made. Expatriate workers have imported the use of the burn pressure garment (BPG), which is widely accepted as an effective intervention within western countries. However, evidence of effectiveness specific to the unique cultural context of Saudi Arabia is lacking. This paper compares the findings of two audits conducted regarding BPG treatments in two similar hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Although both hospitals were alike in structure, location and client population, Hospital A patient compliance rate was only 15.3% compared to Hospital Bʹs 81.3%. Dissatisfaction was reported by 77% of the Hospital A group but by only 35% of the Hospital B patients. Hospital A lacked the clear guidelines for practice and follow-up procedures evidenced at the second facility and poorer outcomes could possibly be attributed to this short-coming. However, cross-cultural issues related to skill transfer, the auditing process and the impact of expatriate health care workers were also identified as warranting further exploration.