Clinico-Demographic Profile and Factors Affecting Duration of Hospital Stay Among Burn Patients in an Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Center, South India: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundBurns continue to be a serious public health problem in India. It persists as an endemic disease in spite of implementing various preventive measures at the individual and community levels. Etiology and factors influencing burns are varied. There is a paucity of data regarding the clinico-demographic profile of burns disease, especially from emergency tertiary care settings in India. ObjectiveTo assess the proportion of burn patients having longer hospital stays (>1 week) and the influence of clinicodemographic factors associated with it among the burn patients presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary care institute in south India. MethodologyAn institution-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among burns patients attending the Emergency Medicine Department (EMD) of a tertiary care center between January 2017 and December 2017. Information on clinico-demographic profile and duration of hospital stay were captured using semistructured data collection proforma. ResultsAll the 327 burns injury patients who presented to our EMD during the study period were included. Among the 327 patients, 259 (79%) were admitted to the EMD. Among 259 admitted patients, 142 (55%) patients were discharged home. Among these 142 patients, 106 (74.6%; 95%CI 66.8-81.2) had longer hospital stays (more than one week). Female gender and facial/inhalational burns were found to have an independent effect on the length of hospital stay even after adjusted analysis. ConclusionLength of hospital stay is independently influenced by female gender and facial/inhalational burns. This study also identified the need for better home safety, child-proofing, proper pre-hospital care, and dedicated burns units in the community.