Predicting length of stay from Total Body Surface Area burned – Is 1 day per TBSA % applicable to Australasian burn units?
Elizabeth Concannon1, Anton Alvaro1, Nicholas Solanki1, Marcus Wagstaff1, 1Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Abstract
Hospital length of stay (LOS) is an important and commonly reported outcome used to estimate the quality of patient care and resource utilisation across different burn units worldwide. Accurate predictor of LOS allows individual burn units to compare performance against other institutions, obtain suitable funding, appropriately allocate resources, and provide patients with a realistic discharge goal date. Following an expert roundtable discussion in 1986, a popularised estimate emerged for admission duration in burn patients, predicting 1 day LOS per percentage total body surface area (TBSA) burned. This study aims to use data collected by the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand (BRANZ) to investigate the relationship between TBSA and LOS across Australasian burn units. Accurate prediction of LOS using TBSA allows individual burn units across Australia and New Zealand be aware of their performance when compared with similar departments nationally and internationally, to inform resource allocation and allow for potential areas for improvement or development to be identified.
Biography
Dr Elizabeth Concannon (MB BCh BAO MCh FRCS(Plast)) works as a Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgeon at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide.
After Dr Concannon completed training across all aspects of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery in Ireland, she pursued further fellowship training in the Royal Adelaide Hospital Burns Unit, followed by reconstructive fellowship at Peter Mac Callum Cancer Centre, Melbourne.
Dr Concannon has maintained a strong interest in clinical research throughout her career, particularly within the subspecialty of burns where she is involved in studies relating to dermal replacements, tissue engineering and scar outcomes.