TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Inter-facility transfer of pediatric burn patients from U.S. emergency departments
JO  - Burns: journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
A1  - Johnson, Sarah A.
A1  - Shi, Junxin
A1  - Groner, Jonathan I.
A1  - Thakkar, Rajan K.
A1  - Fabia, Renata
A1  - Besner, Gail E.
A1  - Xiang, Huiyun
A1  - Wheeler, Krista K.
SP  - 1413
EP  - 1422
VL  - 42
IS  - 7
N2  - PURPOSE: To describe the epidemiology of pediatric burn patients seen in U.S. emergency departments (EDs) and to determine factors associated with inter-facility transfer. <br><br>METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2012 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. Current American Burn Association (ABA) Guidelines were used to identify children <18 who met criteria for referral to burn centers. Burn patient admission volume was used as a proxy for burn expertise. Logistic models were fitted to examine the odds of transfer from low volume hospitals. <br><br>RESULTS: In 2012, there were an estimated 126,742 (95% CI: 116,104-137,380) pediatric burn ED visits in the U.S. Of the 69,003 (54.4%) meeting referral criteria, 83.2% were in low volume hospitals. Only 8.2% of patients meeting criteria were transferred from low volume hospitals. Of the 52,604 (95% CI: 48,433-56,775) not transferred, 98.3% were treated and released and 1.7% were admitted without transfer; 54.7% of burns involved hands. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Over 90% of pediatric burn ED patients meet ABA burn referral criteria but are not transferred from low volume hospitals. Perhaps a portion of the 92% of patients currently receiving definitive care in low volume hospitals are under-referred and would have improved clinical outcomes if transferred at the time of presentation.<br><br>Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0305-4179
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2016.06.024
ID  - ref1
ER  -