The Role of Non-Governmental Organization in Providing Food Needs in Burn Patients

Non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) are one of the financial providers of the health sector and one of the key factors in development of social partnership in the community. In this study, the role of NGOs was evaluated in improvement of the dietary intake of burn patients. In this case-control study, nutritional indices of 30 burn patients who received nutritional support by NGOs were compared with nutritional indices in 30 matched burn patients who were treated before the start of nutritional support by NGOs. Dietary intake for the three-day record was provided. Finally, the amount of macro- and micronutrients intake was analyzed by Nutritionist IV software. Laboratory and clinicaldata were compared between the two groups. Burn percentage in the intervention group was 39±20.27% and in the control group was 28.91±16.40%. The mean age of case group was 40.74±17.02 years and of the control group was 41.60±20.80 years. Charity aid increased calorie intake in the case group (1425.77±432.93 vs. 1038.12±438.40 Kcal, p=0.002). Patients in the case group received a significantly higher amount of protein (60.28±16.32 vs. 45.03±17.16 g, p= 0.002). The changes in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were higher in cases, when compared to the controls: BUN: (2.34±16.67 vs. -6.9±12.55 mg/dL, p=0.03); creatinine (0.1±0.36 vs. -0.21±0.4 mg/dL, p=0.002). NGOs’ support can be effective in improvement of nutritional indices in severely burn patients, especially in developing countries, where hospital and families are not able to supply expensive nutritional supplements.