The evolution of resource utilization in regional burn centers

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Burn Care
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Regional burn centers offer specialized multidisciplinary care, improving outcomes for burn victims.
• Increasingly, patients with complex skin and soft tissue injuries are admitted to these specialized centers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess current trends in resource utilization within regional burn centers.
• To analyze changes in patient demographics, diagnoses, and resource consumption over a decade.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of patient data from five regional academic burn centers over a 10-year period.
• Data collected included admission diagnosis, demographics, length of stay (LOS), hospital charges, and mortality.
• Analysis focused on comparing burn and non-burn patient populations and tracking admission trends.

Main Results:

• Total admissions increased by 34.7%, with non-burn diagnoses rising by 244.9% compared to a 31.1% increase in burn admissions.
• Mean burn size decreased, while non-burn patient admissions surged, indicating a shift in case mix.
• Non-burn patients exhibited higher mean age, longer LOS, greater mortality, and higher daily charges, consuming disproportionately more resources.

Conclusions:

• Regional burn centers are treating fewer severe burns but more complex non-burn conditions.
• There is a significant shift in burn center resource utilization towards managing complex wounds and older, more debilitated non-burn patients.
• Burn centers are evolving into comprehensive centers for complex wound care beyond traditional burn treatment.