OBJECTIVE: To analyze the informative potential of an education action about child burns with relatives of hospitalized children. METHODS: Structured questionnaires were applied, before and immediately after an educative action, including verbal intervention and an education booklet, with 37 relatives of children and teens who were hospitalized at two public hospitals of a city in São Paulo State, Brazil. The data obtained before and after the education action were compared by chi-square statistical test, considering significant p<0.05. RESULTS: Comparing pre-educative and post-educative actions, it was noted that hospitalized children's relatives increased their indication of: residence as the place where burn injuries occur more frequently in children (pre-education 95% versus post-education 100%); 0-3 years old as the most affected age (46% versus 78%); male as the most affected gender (76% versus 78%); hot water as the main cause of burn injuries (43% versus 78%); and thorax as the most affected part of the body (32% versus 78%). Possibility of prevention was aknowledged by 89 and 97% before and after the educativeaction. CONCLUSIONS: The education action showed a good informative potential, suggesting it's usefulness in the hospital context. This action should be tested in other places, such as primary and secondary attention health units and educational institutions.
health education; burns; hospitals
