Characteristics of Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department and Urgent Care for Treatment of Sunburn

Abstract

Sunburn led to an estimated 33 826 visits to US emergency departments (EDs) in 2013, resulting in a cost of $11.2 million. Despite this burden, little is known about the features of patients utilizing the ED or urgent care clinic (UCC) for treatment of sunburn. Characterizing this patient population may help guide efforts of prevention, utilization reduction, and transition of care to lower cost settings. In this study we examined the demographics and characteristics of patients seen at the ED or UCC for sunburn treatment at 2 major hospitals over a 15-year period.