Evaluating Discrepancies in Percent Total Body Surface Area Burn Assessments Between Prehospital Providers and Burn Center Physicians.

Publication/Presentation Date

1-5-2022

Abstract

Burns are routinely assessed at the scene of the incident by prehospital or emergency medical services providers. The initial management of burns is based on the calculation of the extent of the injury, reported as percent total body surface area (TBSA). This study evaluates discrepancies in the estimation of TBSA between prehospital providers and burn team physicians over a 3-year period at an academic, university medical center serving as the regional burn center. A total of 120 adult and 27 pediatric patients (younger than age 16 years) were included in this study; 95 (65%) patients were male, 67 (46%) patients were Caucasian, 62 (42%) patients had no healthcare insurance, and the median age was 35 years (interquartile range [IQR] 27). The most common etiology of burns was hot liquid, 39 (26.5%). Median [IQR] and mean (SD) estimated TBSA (%) were 4 [1-10] and 8.6 (12.8) for prehospital providers and 2 [1-6] and 5.9 (9.9) for burn team physicians. Bland-Altman plots evaluating second- and third-degree burns separately and combined demonstrated that, as burns involved more surface area, agreement decreased between emergency medical service providers and burn physicians. Agreement between prehospital providers and burn physicians decreased as TBSA of burns increased. This finding reaffirms the need for more standardized education and training for all medical personnel.

Volume

43

Issue

1

First Page

225

Last Page

231

ISSN

1559-0488

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Pediatrics

PubMedID

34289051

Department(s)

Department of Pediatrics

Document Type

Article

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