title: Paediatric burn unit in Portugal: Beds needed using a bed-day approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the high burden of children with burns, there is not a paediatric burn unit (PBU) in Portugal. We aimed to estimate the Portuguese health care providing needs on paediatric burns.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a nation-wide retrospective study, between 2009 and 2013, among less than 16 years-old inpatients with burns that met the transfer criteria to a burn unit in Portugal. A bed-day approach was used, targeting an occupancy rate of 70-75%, and possible locations were studied. The primary outcome was the number of beds needed, and secondary outcomes were the overload and revenue for each possible number of beds in a PBU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1155 children met the transfer criteria to a burn unit, representing a total of 17,371 bed-days. Occupancy rates of 11-bed, 12-bed, 13-bed and 14-bed PBU were, respectively, 79.7%, 75.3%, 71.0% and 66.8%. The 13-bed PBU scenario would represent an overload of 523 bed-days, revenue of more than 5 million Euros and a ratio of 1 PBU bed per 123,409 children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using a groundbreaking approach, the optimal number of PBU beds needed in Portugal is 13. However, as half of the patients who met burn transfer criteria are not transferred, this bed number might be overestimated if this pattern maintains, despite the underestimation with our method approach. If a PBU is to be created the preferable location is Porto. Cost-effectiveness studies should be performed.
authors.affiliation: CIDES-Department of Health Information and Decision Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal; CINTESIS-Centre for Health Technology and Services Research, Portugal. Electronic address: jvasco.santos@gmail.com.
authors.forename: João V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: CIDES-Department of Health Information and Decision Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal; CINTESIS-Centre for Health Technology and Services Research, Portugal.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, Hospital São João and Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Amarante
authors.affiliation: CIDES-Department of Health Information and Decision Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal; CINTESIS-Centre for Health Technology and Services Research, Portugal.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freitas
mesh_terms: D001509:Bed Occupancy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002053:Burn Units; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006285:Health Planning; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010360:Patient Transfer; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Bed occupancy; Burns; Health care services; Health policy; Paediatric burn unit