Emergency department management of minor burn injuries in Ontario, Canada.
Many thermal injuries are minor and can be effectively treated in a primary care setting. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to examine how emergency department physicians care for minor burns in the Canadian province of Ontario. Respondents were provided with a colour photograph of a patient with a minor burn and asked to comment about history, physical examination, investigations, treatment plan and follow-up care. A 37% response rate was attained (141/380). Of all respondents, 70% failed to record the burn extent, and 45% failed to discuss analgesia. No significant differences existed between emergency physicians in teaching and non-teaching hospitals (P > 0.05), with the exception that teaching hospital physicians referred significantly more to burn centres (P = 0.013). This suggests that educational interventions focussing on burn extent, pain control and referral criteria may be beneficial to emergency physicians.
Bezuhly
M
M
Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Gomez
M
M
Fish
J S
JS
D002056:Burns / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000592:standards; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D009864:Ontario; D010808:Physical Examination; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires