In 2016 the American Burn Association (ABA) reported 486,000 patients were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments for burn related injuries; more than 50% of those patients were subsequently admitted to one of the nation’s 128 specialized regional burn centers for treatment. Due to the small number of specialized burn centers, the geographical regions, called catchment areas, which these centers serve are often enormous. This means many burn patients live too far from their burn centers to return there for much-needed follow-up care after discharge. This can lead to isolation, poor care and costly hospital readmissions.
The Bridge Mobile App for Burn Patients is the first and only app designed to provide essential follow-up care to burn patients after their discharge from the nation’s burn centers. The Bridge App is designed specifically to serve the large number of burn patients who live too far from the burn centers to receive specialized follow-up care from them. The Bridge App will improve these patients’ follow-up care, improve their outcomes, and reduce the high costs of hospital readmissions.
