The Planning and Organization of a Regionalized Burn Care System

The burn problem in the United States, as reflected in published data, is serious. More than 2,000,000 people are injured in burn accidents each year; 70,000 are hospitalized, involving approximately 9,000,000 disability days; and an estimated 9,000 die from their injuries. In 1964, the National Burn Information Exchange (NBIE) was established in Michigan. NBIE collects national and international data representing currently 40,000 burn cases from 133 hospitals in the United States, Canada and overseas. NBIE provides information on morbidity by etiology, treatment patterns and mortality by cause and institution. The organized data are a major and valuable information resource helpful for establishing criteria and policy guidelines for organizing burn care services based on need, severity, and quality measures as reflected by outcomes of care. Based on NBIE analyses of current information, it is recommended 1) that only 10 per cent of the acute general hospitals in the United States need be involved directly in the provision of specialized burn patient care; 2) that 3 levels of care be established as determined by severity of injury and intensity of care; and 3) that burn care should be organized within a comprehensive regionalized Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system in accordance with the EMS Act of 1973 and the 1976 amendments.