Mrs Courtney Ryder¹, Dr  Tamara Makean¹, Dr  Kate Hunter¹, Dr  Holger Moller¹, Professor Belinda Gabbe², Professor Andrew Holland³, Professor Rebecca Ivers¹

¹The George Institute For Global Health, UNSW, Sydney , Australia, ²School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, ³The University of Sydney, School of Medicine, Sydney, Australia

Abstract:

Background:In Australia inequalities are evident between Indigenous and other Australian patients, including injury rates, and length of stay. To better understand these differences this study reports a population comparison, including examination of contextual and clinical factors.

Methods:Data from October 2009–July 2017 were accessed from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand. Patient inclusion criteria included Australian ethnicity, <16 years of age, with acute burn admissions. Numbers and percentages were reported over, patient demographics, injury mechanism and anatomical location, %TBSA, length of stay, ICD10-AM diagnosis and procedures.

Results:Of the 6710 patients, most were male (60.6%, n=4069), aged 1-4 years (53.4%, n=3585), and 10.2% (n=686) were recorded as Indigenous. Food and beverage scalds were the major cause of burns (26.1%, n=1752), with burns to the upper limbs (34.7%, n=2332) predominant. Coal or ash contact burns were more common in Indigenous children (13.9% vs 5.8%), along with burns to lower limbs (62.8% vs 49.5%) and streptococcus infections (5.5% vs 1.0%). Marginal differences, >10%TBSA were found (12.5% vs 10.1%). Longer length of stay >7 days was reported for Indigenous children (45.0% vs 19.4%). Slight variations were found in ICD10-AM procedures, sedation use (9.0% vs 11.4%), >3% split skin grafts (10.8% vs 7.1%).

Conclusion: A higher proportion of Indigenous children sustain a burn as a result of hot coal or ash contact. Despite similar burn severity, Indigenous children have higher rates of streptococcus infection and are more likely to have >3% split skin graft, which may contribute to significantly longer inpatient care.

Biography:

Courtney Ryder is an Aboriginal PhD student through The George Institute for Global Health at UNSW. Her studies are focussed on burns outcomes as part of a multi-site NHMRC funded study, understanding burn injuries in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: treatment, access to services and outcomes.