Patient and social characteristics contributing to disparities in outcomes after burn injury: application of database research to minority health in the burn population

Background: Although racial disparities have been well described in trauma and medical literature, less is known about disparities in the burn population, especially the Native American, Hispanic, Black, and Asian minority groups. This study seeks to identify at-risk populations for differences in patient and social characteristics that may link certain race groups to disparate burn outcomes. Methods: Data was reviewed from the National Burn Repository. Information regarding patient demographics, co-morbidities, complications, and clinical outcomes was recorded. Student's T-test, ANOVA, and binary logistic regression were used to assess relationships between patient factors and outcomes. Results: The Native American cohort had higher rates of alcoholism, drug abuse, and homelessness compared to all patients. Native Americans also had significantly longer hospital lengths of stay, and higher rates of respiratory failure, pneumonia, sepsis, and wound complications. The Black population demonstrated the highest percentage of injury at home, child abuse, and non-insurance. Mortality was highest in the Black population compared to all patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that outcome disparities exist in burn-injured patients in multiple minority groups. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.