Photo Credit: Intek1

Access disparities to burn centers persist, with lower access in the South and West and for those with lower income, according to a research letter published in JAMA Surgery. The study authors characterized access to American Burn Association (ABA)-verified and self-designated burn centers nationwide using 2019 Trauma Information Exchange Program data. According to the findings, the total burn incidence rate increased by 11% to 257.2 per 100,000 people from 2013 to 2019. There was an increase observed in the number of burn centers to 133 (66 ABA verified) in 2019. Overall, 68.8% and 81.6% of the population had 60-minute access to ABA-verified and all burn centers, respectively. The median beds-to-incidence ratio was 8.1, with the highest and lowest ratios seen in New England and in the South and West, respectively. Populations with versus without 60-minute-transport access to ABA-verified and all burn centers had higher median income ($31,732 versus $26,440 and $30,797 versus $26,029, respectively). The proportion of racial and ethnic groups in Census Block Groups with 60-minute transport access to ABA-verified burn centers was 40%, 86%, 74%, 74%, 56%, and 64% for American Indian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native-Hawaiian, and White populations, respectively.