Hospitalised burns in children up to 16 years old: A 10‐year population‐based study in Australia

Aim Globally, burns remain a significant public health issue that disproportionately affect young children. The current study examines the 10‐year epidemiological profile of burn hospitalisations, hospital treatment cost and health outcomes by age group for children ≤16 years in Australia. Methods National, population‐based, linked hospital and mortality data from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2012 were used to identify burn‐related hospitalisations. Age‐standardised hospitalisation rates and hospital treatment costs were estimated. Results There were 25 098 children aged ≤16 years hospitalised after sustaining a burn. The age‐standardised hospitalisation rate was 54.4 per 100 000 (95% confidence interval (CI): 53.7–55.1). Children aged 1–5 years had the highest burn hospitalisation rate (105.6 per 100 000; 95% CI: 103.8–107.3). The burn hospitalisation rate of infants