|
|
Scald Burn Injuries - Statistics
Children, Ages 0-6 Years
The following selected information provides an overview of the data specific to injuries associated with tap water for children aged 0-6 years (212,437 records) from the emergency rooms of 15 Canadian hospitals between 1994-1998. (Injury data was obtained from the database of the Children's Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP), Health Canada).
|
|
AGE OF INJURED |
|
Age
(Years) |
Percent of
Injuries |
|
< 1 year |
28.9 |
|
1 |
38.6 |
|
2 |
13.2 |
|
3 |
8.8 |
|
4 |
5.3 |
|
5 |
4.4 |
|
6 |
0.9 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
Half the burns or scalds were to the lower extremity; of these, 51% were to the foot or toe(s).
|
WHERE THE INJURY OCCURRED |
|
Location/Area |
Percent of
Injuries |
|
Own home * |
84.2 |
|
Other home |
5.3 |
|
Trade or service area |
2.6 |
|
Unknown |
7.9 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
|
* Highest percent of total injuries occurred in patient's home bathroom (>43.9%) and kitchen (>16.7%). |
Year-round the injuries occurred most often daily between 4:00pm and 11:59pm; weekends represented 37.8% of all occurrences.
|
DAY DURING WHICH
THE INJURY OCCURRED |
|
Day of week |
Percent of
Injuries |
|
Sunday |
16.7 |
|
Monday |
13.1 |
|
Tuesday |
16.7 |
|
Wednesday |
10.5 |
|
Thursday |
13.2 |
|
Friday |
8.8 |
|
Saturday |
21.1 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
|
Children less than two years of age represented 67.5% of all injuries associated with tap water among those aged 0-6 years.
|
BODY PART BURNED OR SCALDED |
|
Body Part |
Percent of
Injuries |
|
Lower extremity * |
50.0 |
|
Upper extremity ** |
28.1 |
|
Trunk |
15.8 |
|
Face |
6.1 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
* Highest percent of total injuries to foot or toe.
** Highest percent of total injuries to hand, fingers or wrist > 14%. |
84.2% of the injuries occurred in the patient's own home; of these, 52.1% occurred in the bathroom and 20.0% in the kitchen.
|
TIME AT WHICH
THE INJURY OCCURRED |
|
Time of day |
Percent of
Injuries |
|
Midnight to < 8:00 am |
1.4 |
|
8:00 am to < Noon |
25.7 |
|
Noon to < 4:00 pm |
20.0 |
|
4:00 pm to < 8:00 pm |
22.9 |
|
8:00 pm to < Midnight |
30.0 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
|
SEASON DURING WHICH
THE INJURY OCCURRED |
|
Season |
Percent of
Injuries |
|
Spring (Mar.-May) |
28.1 |
|
Summer (June-Aug.) |
19.3 |
|
Fall (Sept.-Nov.) |
25.4 |
|
Winter (Dec.-Feb.) |
27.2 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
|
|
Of all the patients in emergency, 59.6% were treated with follow-up required and 27.2% were admitted to hospital. Of the admitted patients 71% were less than two years of age.
Most scald injuries can be prevented.
|
CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE INJURY |
|
Circumstances |
Percent of
Injuries |
|
Patient in bathtub, sink or taking a shower when the patient, sibling or parent turned on the hot water or turned off the cold |
32.4 |
|
Hot water spilled or splashed on the patient |
21.1 |
|
Patient burned or scalded while stepping or being put into bathtub filled with water or while bathing |
12.3 |
|
Burned or scalded by hot tap water, not further specified |
10.5 |
|
Patient climbed into or fell into a bathtub or sink already filled with water or turned hot water on |
9.6 |
|
Playing or washing hands, turned hot water on |
7.9 |
|
Patient put hands in container of hot tap water |
3.5 |
|
Contents of vaporizer/humidifier spilled on patient |
1.7 |
|
Plumbing malfunction |
0.9 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
|
Back to Related Links page / Home page
|
