Comparing Peak Burn Injury Times and Characteristics in Australia and New Zealand

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 4;19(15):9578. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159578.

Abstract

Burns are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Understanding when and how burns occur, as well as the differences between countries, would aid prevention efforts. A review of burn injuries occurring between July 2009 and June 2021 was undertaken using data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand. Peak injury times were identified on a country-by-country basis. Variations in demographic and injury event profiles between countries were compared using descriptive statistics. There were 26,925 admissions recorded across the two countries (23,323 for Australia; 3602 for New Zealand). The greatest number of injuries occurred between 6 PM to 7 PM in Australia (1871, 8.0%) and between 5 PM to 6 PM in New Zealand (280, 7.8%). In both countries, scalds accounted for the greatest proportion of injuries during peak times (988, 45.8%), but a greater proportion of young children (under three years) sustained burns during New Zealand's peak times. The number of burn injuries associated with the preparation and/or consumption of food offers an opportunity for a targeted prevention program that may yield benefits across the two countries. Age- and mechanism-related differences in the profile of burn-injured patients need to be considered when developing and implementing such a program.

Keywords: burns; cooking; flame; registry; scald.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Burn Units*
  • Burns* / prevention & control
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • New Zealand / epidemiology
  • Registries

Grants and funding

The BRANZ has received funding from the Australian and New Zealand Burn Association (no award/grant number), the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (2008–2009; no award/grant number), the Julian Burton Burns Trust (2008–2013; no award/grant number), the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust (2010–2012; no award/grant number), the Thyne Reid Foundation (2011–2013; no award/grant number), the Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery (2013–2017; no award/grant number), the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation (2013–2020; no award/grant number), the Clipsal by Schnieder Electric National Community Grants Program (2017; no award/grant number), the HCF Research Foundation (2018–2019; no award/grant number), and the Victorian Agency for Health Information (2020–2021; no award/grant number). Individual burn services also contribute funding to the BRANZ to ensure its ongoing sustainability. BG was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Investigator Grant (ID 2009998) during the preparation of this manuscript.