Mobile applications for the assessment of paediatric burn injuries in the Pacific Islands: A Samoan perspective for global research engagement.

Burn injuries are a major public health issue, and the rate of childhood mortality from burn injuries is over seven times higher in low and middle-income countries than in high-income nations. Mobile technologies should prove useful in resource-limited clinical settings, as well as improve the quality of data available for monitoring and evaluation activities and health service research studies. This report advocates for the Polynesian nation of Samoa to engage with global research efforts on the use of mobile technologies for burn injury assessments. This includes registration with the WHO Global Burn Registry, and membership to the International Society for Burn Injuries. Our advocacy is timely as (1) the Ministry of Health of Samoa has appointed an inaugural Research Lead position to support national health research efforts in 2024 and (2) the on-going implementation of the national Health Information System 'Tamanu' supports the inclusion of mobile technology health applications.