A third of referrals are unnecessary: Critical review of burn outpatient clinic data

The purpose of this study was to establish patterns in types of burns referred to the Outpatient Clinic (OP) at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).

A 2-year retrospective chart review was conducted of patients presenting to the OP Clinic from June 1, 2016 - June 1, 2018. Data collected included: patient demographics, depth of burn, Total Body Surface Area (TBSA), anatomical location of burn, geographical location of referral, and operative versus non-operative management.

The OP Clinic served 470 patients for burn injuries with a total of 1852 visits. Of these, 20% were follow-up visits post-admission, and 73.6% were primary referrals from the emergency department (ED) or elsewhere. The vast majority (69.6%) of burns were less than 5% TBSA. Half involved the hands (50.9%), and half were superficial dermal in depth (45.1%). A third of patients attended only one appointment with the OP Clinic before discharge and 15% did not receive any treatment.

The results of our study demonstrate gaps in current provincial referral guidelines leading to a significant number of "unnecessary referrals." Further research could correlate the results to current provincial referral guidelines to estimate their current efficacy in practical use.