Geospatial Mapping as a Guide for Resource Allocation Among Burn Centers in India

Area of Science:

• Medical Research
• Public Health
• Geospatial Analysis

Background:

• Optimal burn injury outcomes depend on timely treatment.
• Access to specialized burn care resources in developing nations like India is not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the availability and accessibility of burn care resources across India.
• To analyze the geospatial distribution of burn centers and associated critical care services.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 67 eligible burn centers in India to document resources.
• Cross-sectional geospatial analysis using ArcGIS and population data to estimate travel times.
• Descriptive statistics to analyze resource distribution and population access.

Main Results:

• Over 1 billion (75.1%) Indians reside within a 2-hour travel time to a burn center.
• Only 221.9 million (15.9%) have access to a burn center with both an intensive care unit (ICU) and a skin bank.
• Burn units are predominantly staffed by plastic surgeons, with most offering hemodialysis.

Conclusions:

• Despite broad geographic access to burn centers, critical resource limitations (ICU, skin bank) hinder comprehensive burn care in India.
• Resource reallocation for improved transportation and essential services is crucial for enhancing burn care outcomes.