Epidemiology of hospitalized burn patients in Shandong Province: 2001-2005

The aim of the article was to describe the epidemiology of burn injuries requiring hospitalization at Shandong Provincial Hospital and to provide information necessary for the design and implementation of effective prevention programs. The records of patients with burn injury admitted to our burn unit over a 5-year period (1 January 2001 to 31 December 2005) were reviewed. Medical record review provided basic demographic information and details on the extent of injury, time of day burns occurred, month of admission, cause of burn, accident site, first aid, number of operations, length of hospital stay, and mortality. There was no trend in annual admissions. The male-to-female ratio was 3:1. The age distribution of burn patients showed peaks occurring at the age groups of 0 to 10 and 20 to 30 years. Over the course of a day, burn injuries occurred most frequently from 1700 to 1900 hours. Scalds accounted for 45.23% (502) of the 1110 patients, and flame burns accounted for 42.33% (471). Only 29% of all patients received proper first aid with cool water or burn cream. The average length of hospital stay was 22 days. Children under 10 years and adults between 20 and 30 years of age are the most susceptible populations, and first aid is performed poorly in Shandong Province. Burn prevention and first aid education campaigns should be launched to encourage safe lifestyle and work habits.