title: Outpatient presentations to burn centers: data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand outpatient pilot project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most studies about burn injury focus on admitted cases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare outpatient and inpatient presentations at burn centers in Australia to inform the establishment of a repository for outpatient burn injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data for sequential outpatient presentations were collected at seven burn centers in Australia between December 2010 and May 2011 and compared with inpatient admissions from these centers recorded by the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand for the corresponding period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 788 outpatient and 360 inpatient presentations. Pediatric outpatients included more children <3 years of age (64% vs 33%), scald (52% vs 35%) and contact burns (39% vs 24%). Adult outpatients included fewer males (58% vs 73%) and intentional injuries (3.3% vs 10%), and more scald (46% vs 30%) and contact burns (24% vs 13%). All pediatric, and 98% of adult, outpatient presentations involved a %TBSA<10. The pattern of outpatient presentations was consistent between centers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Outpatient presentations outnumbered inpatient admissions by 2.2:1. The pattern of outpatient burns presenting to burn centers differed to inpatient admission data, particularly with respect to etiology and burn severity, highlighting the importance of the need for outpatient data to enhance burn injury surveillance and inform prevention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, The Alfred Centre, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia. Electronic address: belinda.gabbe@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Belinda J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Gabbe
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, The Alfred Centre, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia; Occupational Therapy Department, Alfred Health, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
authors.forename: Dina M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Watterson
authors.affiliation: Victorian Adult Burn Service, Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.affiliation: Statewide Burn Injury Service Network, Agency for Clinical Innovation, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001830:Body Surface Area; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Burn centers; Burn registry; Observational study; Outpatient presentations