Assessment of burn injury in the accident and emergency department: a review of 100 referrals to a regional burns unit.
Accurate assessment of the extent of thermal injury in the accident and emergency (A&E) department is essential if appropriate resuscitation and referral to a specialist unit is to occur. However, review of 100 referrals to a regional burns unit confirms that assessment is often inaccurate, and usually undertaken by no one more senior than a casualty officer, leading to suboptimal treatment and referral. Severe thermal injury should be assessed by a team of senior doctors, according to the major trauma protocol, and casualty officers should receive better training in the assessment of less extensive burns.
North West Thames Regional Burns Unit, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex.
J H
JH
Laing
B D
BD
Morgan
R
R
Sanders
D002053:Burn Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002056:Burns / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies