Date of Award
1-1-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Medical Doctor (MD)
Department
Medicine
First Advisor
John Geibel
Abstract
Aim: Over a quarter of all burn admissions in the United States are children
Method: We reviewed the records of all burn patients presenting to Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center (PTC) and transferred to the BC over a 2-year period before and after institution of a policy requiring Telehealth based review of burn injury (February 2015).
Results: 59 patients were included, 31 prior to telemedicine implementation and 28 after. The majority of burns were scald (73%) or contact (20%). Median TBSA burn was 5% in the first reporting period and 4% in the second. PTS estimation of burn size was significantly greater than BC estimation both before and after institution of telemedicine review (p=0.0001) but demonstrated improved correlation after policy implementation (R=0.57 vs R=0.95). Length of stay (LOS) was decreased from 3.1 days to 1.5 days, associated with an increase in referrals to the outpatient burn clinic.
Conclusion: The institution of telemedicine based burn evaluation improved the triage accuracy of pediatric burns and resulted in a decrease in hospital LOS and increase in outpatient referrals and treatment plans.
Recommended Citation
Marfo, Chris Amparbeng, "The Value Of A Picture: Improving The Accuracy Of Burn Assessment And Quality Of Care Through Telemedicine In A Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center." (2017). Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library. 3428.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ymtdl/3428