Posters
Presenting Author Academic/Professional Position
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 1)
Medical Student
Discipline/Specialty (Author 1)
Population Health and Biostatistics
Academic Level (Author 2)
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 3)
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 4)
Medical Student
Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Community/Public Health
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Background: Third-degree burns are injuries that penetrate through the dermis and can affect underlying tissues, resulting in severe functional and aesthetic impairments. Despite advancements in burn care, challenges remain in care equality. Of note, best practices recommend third-degree burn treatment should occur at a registered burn center due to the high risk of shock and/or infection. Additionally, a burn center provides specialized treatments such as grafts that can lead to improved recovery. Previous studies have shown that marginalized racial groups correlate with worse burn injury outcomes, suggesting that they may not have access to burn centers. This study aimed to identify the frequency of third-degree burns in disadvantaged regions in relation to the availability of burn care units in Texas. Additionally, we sought to identify the most common geographical areas, anatomical locations, and injury etiology to better direct health education towards prevention.
Methods: Data from the Texas State Department of Health Services (DSHS) was used to conduct a retrospective analysis of traumas from 2018-2022. Focusing on third degree burns, ICD-10 codes under T2X.3 (X= 0 - 5) were filtered to analyze distributions of anatomical location, sex, ethnicity, age, location (public health region (PHR)), and injury cause. A statistically significant result was classified as p < 0.05. Cases within PHR’s were further compared with Texas DSHS 2019 Index of Medical Underservice (IMU) scores and 2018 U.S. Census Bureau Texas Per capita income data.
Results: 1451 cases of third-degree burns were identified from the dataset, 29.91% being females compared to a higher prevalence in males with 70.09%. Adults and children had the highest frequency of burns compared to other age groups. White individuals made up 42.94% of cases followed by Hispanic individuals with 30.51%. The two most common injury etiologies were fires (34.37%) and hot substances (31.25%) with the highest frequency on hands as compared to other anatomical locations. The PHR with the highest prevalence was PHR10, with 404 cases per 100,000 individuals, followed by PHR2(40), and PHR9(37). Interestingly, the three regions with the highest third-degree burn prevalence had no registered burn care units. In addition, we noted that PHR10 had some of the lowest IMU and individual per capita incomes in the state.
Conclusion: Males having a higher prevalence of third-degree burns is likely due to occupational hazards. Some of the leading occupations in west Texas consist of oil/gas refinery and agricultural machinery use, all with increased risk for burns. With no burn care units in PHR10,2,9, the leading regions in third degree burns, our findings align with the proposed hypothesis. With 51.98% of cases occurring in PHR10, it is likely that the need for health professionals and a decrease in resources amplifies the absence of health knowledge and preventative measures. This suggests that a larger availability of burn centers has a lower prevalence of injury, as seen in PHR3 and PHR8. Moving forward, our findings suggest to direct resources, allowing for optimal management and prevention of serious complications induced by third degree burns.
Recommended Citation
Torres, Jocelyn; Ortigoza Martinez, Isabella; Saldhi, Saloni; Guillory, Mary Arden; Padhi, Shalika; and Holubar, Ashlyn, "Health Disparities in Third-Degree Burn Care in the State of Texas" (2025). Research Symposium. 76.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/posters/76
Included in
Health Disparities in Third-Degree Burn Care in the State of Texas
Background: Third-degree burns are injuries that penetrate through the dermis and can affect underlying tissues, resulting in severe functional and aesthetic impairments. Despite advancements in burn care, challenges remain in care equality. Of note, best practices recommend third-degree burn treatment should occur at a registered burn center due to the high risk of shock and/or infection. Additionally, a burn center provides specialized treatments such as grafts that can lead to improved recovery. Previous studies have shown that marginalized racial groups correlate with worse burn injury outcomes, suggesting that they may not have access to burn centers. This study aimed to identify the frequency of third-degree burns in disadvantaged regions in relation to the availability of burn care units in Texas. Additionally, we sought to identify the most common geographical areas, anatomical locations, and injury etiology to better direct health education towards prevention.
Methods: Data from the Texas State Department of Health Services (DSHS) was used to conduct a retrospective analysis of traumas from 2018-2022. Focusing on third degree burns, ICD-10 codes under T2X.3 (X= 0 - 5) were filtered to analyze distributions of anatomical location, sex, ethnicity, age, location (public health region (PHR)), and injury cause. A statistically significant result was classified as p < 0.05. Cases within PHR’s were further compared with Texas DSHS 2019 Index of Medical Underservice (IMU) scores and 2018 U.S. Census Bureau Texas Per capita income data.
Results: 1451 cases of third-degree burns were identified from the dataset, 29.91% being females compared to a higher prevalence in males with 70.09%. Adults and children had the highest frequency of burns compared to other age groups. White individuals made up 42.94% of cases followed by Hispanic individuals with 30.51%. The two most common injury etiologies were fires (34.37%) and hot substances (31.25%) with the highest frequency on hands as compared to other anatomical locations. The PHR with the highest prevalence was PHR10, with 404 cases per 100,000 individuals, followed by PHR2(40), and PHR9(37). Interestingly, the three regions with the highest third-degree burn prevalence had no registered burn care units. In addition, we noted that PHR10 had some of the lowest IMU and individual per capita incomes in the state.
Conclusion: Males having a higher prevalence of third-degree burns is likely due to occupational hazards. Some of the leading occupations in west Texas consist of oil/gas refinery and agricultural machinery use, all with increased risk for burns. With no burn care units in PHR10,2,9, the leading regions in third degree burns, our findings align with the proposed hypothesis. With 51.98% of cases occurring in PHR10, it is likely that the need for health professionals and a decrease in resources amplifies the absence of health knowledge and preventative measures. This suggests that a larger availability of burn centers has a lower prevalence of injury, as seen in PHR3 and PHR8. Moving forward, our findings suggest to direct resources, allowing for optimal management and prevention of serious complications induced by third degree burns.
