Mrs Gabby Pulbrook¹, Ms Rebecca Schrale¹, Ms Fiona Orr¹

¹Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, Australia

Abstract:

Background: Over the last 2 years the Tasmanian Burns Unit has noticed an increase in the incidence of Hot Water Bottle burn presentations, both inpatient and outpatient, particularly in 2020. As well as this increase in presentations we have also noticed a decrease in the percent of these patients receiving adequate first aid, with only 28% of these patients receiving 20 minutes cool running water in 2021. Does this increase have any Australia/New Zealand wide correlation to the socioeconomic effects of Covid-19, including quarantine and isolation, working/studying from home, increased financial stress, which could include cost of heating?

Method: Using a retrospective review of inpatient/outpatient BRANZ data from the Tasmanian Burns Unit between January 2017 and December 2021, as well as comparing Tasmanian data to that seen in the rest of Australia and New Zealand using aggregated data supplied from BRANZ 2017-2021.

Results: From 2019 to 2020 there has been nearly triple the amount of hot water bottle burn presentations to the Tasmanian Burns Unit, with most of the patients being adults. About half of these patients also required some form of surgical intervention. This increase in hot water bottle burns has decreased again in 2021, but still has not decreased to the number of patients we were seeing between 2017-2019.

Conclusion: There has been a significant increase in hot water bottle burns in Tasmania since the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly during the winter months when more people were staying/working from home during the first year of closures, lockdowns and changes to everyday lives. Currently awaiting data from the rest of Australia and New Zealand to assess if the Covid effect has spread nationally.

Biography:

Gabby Pulbrook – Registered Nurse at the Tasmanian Burns Unit, ANZBA Prevention Committee member

Rebecca Schrale – Nurse Practitioner at the Tasmanian Burns Unit

Fiona Orr – Burns Data Coordinator at the Tasmanian Burns Unit and Registered Nurse