Predicting Burn Injury Consultations: The Influence of Temporal Variables and Weather Conditions

Specialized burn centers address the special needs of burn victims. Despite accounting for a small proportion of overall trauma cases, twenty-four-hour specialist availability is required. Identifying periods of increased patient flow may support better allocation of beds and staff. This study examined the influence of temporal and meteorological factors on burn injury consultations. Data of all patients treated for burn injuries in our burn unit within 1 year were analyzed. Temporal variables as well as weather data were correlated with burn injury consultation counts. A total of 466 burn trauma patients (mean age 37.2 ± 18.7 years, 57.9% male, 34.3% occupational injuries) were included. The highest number of daily consultations was observed in June (2.0 ± 1.3) and July (1.55 ± 1.18). The highest number of burn patients presented at the beginning of the week, particularly on Tuesdays (1.9 ± 1.6). Only 50.9% of patients consulted the clinic during regular working hours. Patient presentation numbers did not correlate significantly with temperature, sunshine duration, precipitation, humidity, and wind speed. The proportion of female patients correlated negatively with daily sunshine duration (r = -0.13, p = 0.037) and daily mean temperature (r = -0.15, p = 0.019). Unlike general trauma, the number of burn injury consultations did not correlate with any studied meteorological factor. However, the proportion of female patients showed a negative correlation with favorable weather conditions. Increased patient counts were observed on weekdays in the beginning of the week, notably in June and July. These findings may help improve resource management.