Dr Belinda A Wallis | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)

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Papers by Dr Belinda A Wallis

PloS one, 2015

To redress the lack of Queensland population incidence mortality and morbidity data associated wi... more To redress the lack of Queensland population incidence mortality and morbidity data associated with drowning in those aged 0-19yrs, and to understand survival and patient care. Retrospective population-based study used data linkage to capture both fatal and non-fatal drowning cases (N = 1299) among children aged 0-19years in Queensland, from 2002-2008 inclusive. Patient data were accessed from pre-hospital, emergency department, hospital admission and death data, and linked manually to collate data across the continuum of care. Incidence rates were calculated separately by age group and gender for events resulting in death, hospital admission, and non-admission. Trends over time were analysed. Drowning death to survival ratio was 1:10, and two out of three of those who survived were admitted to hospital. Incidence rates for fatal and non-fatal drowning increased over time, primarily due to an increase in non-fatal drowning. There were non-significant reductions in fatal and admissio...

DESCRIPTION Citation: Hareishun Shanmuganathan, Belinda A. Wallis, Kate Miller and Roy M. Kimble.... more DESCRIPTION Citation: Hareishun Shanmuganathan, Belinda A. Wallis, Kate Miller and Roy M. Kimble. Oral poster presentation at Australia and New Zealand Burns Association Scientific Meeting, Perth, Australia, September 2007. This study identified the common causes of burn injury in children between the ages of 12 to 24 months and identifies risk factors for this challenging age group. Children in this age group undergo considerable development of both their motor skills and capability for independent action.

Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) children are at greater risk of dr... more Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) children are at greater risk of drowning than other children, however little is known about drowning of Indigenous children. This study identifies the previously unpublished incidence and characteristics of fatal and non-fatal drowning in Indigenous children and adolescents. Methods: Retrospective data (Jan 2002-Dec 2008) on fatal and non-fatal drowning events among Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Queensland residents aged 0-19 years were obtained from multiple sources across the continuum of care (pre-hospital; emergency department; admitted patients; fatality) and manually linked. Crude incidence rates for fatal and non-fatal events were calculated using population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Results: There were 87 (6.7 % of all events) fatal and non-fatal (combined) Indigenous drowning events yielding a crude Incidence Rate of 16.8/100,000/annum. This is 44 % higher than the incidence rate for Non-Indigenous children. For every fatality, nine others were rescued and sought medical treatment (average 12 per year). There were no significant changes in Indigenous drowning incidents over the study period. Drowning rates were higher for Indigenous females than males. Overall incidence was higher among Indigenous children and adolescents than Non-Indigenous children for every calendar year and age-group (0-4 years; 5-9 years; 10-14 years) except those aged 15-19 years where no drowning events were recorded for males. Location of drowning sites was similar in both populations 0-19 years, however there were slight differences in frequency at each of the locations. The three leading drowning locations for Indigenous 0-19 years olds were pool (48 %), bath (21 %) and natural water (16 %), and for non-Indigenous 0-19 years the leading locations were pool (66 %), natural water (13 %) and bath (12 %) (p < .01). Except for pool drowning, Indigenous drowning occurred more often in geographic areas of relative disadvantage. Among Indigenous children drowning location varied with age (p < .001). Most frequent locations by age were: <1 year bath (71 %); 1-4 years pools (80 %); 5-9 years pools (75 %) and 10-19 years beach/ocean (36 %). Severity of event differed statistically with Indigenous status and by remoteness with all fatal drowning events occurring in Regional or Remote areas, and none in Major Cities.

To describe paediatric (0-15 years) motorcycle incidents in Queensland, inform safety policy and ... more To describe paediatric (0-15 years) motorcycle incidents in Queensland, inform safety policy and identify opportunities to improve data in this area. Method: Population-based study of motorcycle-related child (0-15 years) trauma, resulting in fatality or hospital admission beyond 24 h to any Queensland public hospital (2007)(2008)(2009). Data compiled by Statewide Trauma Network and Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. Results: Ten child fatalities were recorded (child death rate = 0.36/100 000 population 0-15 years). All were male and primary riders of their motorcycle. Nine fatalities were related to head injury; of these, five wore inadequate head protection. The coroner identified rider factors as contributory (speed, age or substance abuse) in seven cases. Motorcycle-related incidents were the second most common mechanism recorded after bicycles, comprising 6.8% of 9141 paediatric trauma cases (619 motorcycle-related incidents; 1225 injuries; admission rate = 22.2/100 000 population 0-15 years). Compared with the all-trauma population, patients were older (median age = 13 vs. 10 years) and more frequently male (85% vs. 67%). Average admission was 4.4 days (head injuries = 7.0 days; burns = 5.8 days). Most children incurred >1 injury (mean = 2.01 injuries) with fractures (45%) and open wounds (17%) most common. As a proportion of all diagnoses, most injuries were to lower limb (44%), upper limb (26%) or head and neck (16%). Conclusions: These data emphasise the need for children to use full protective equipment, especially helmets. Children are not currently protected by legislation mandating safety standards. Regulating rider age and safety standards (protective equipment, training and vehicle maintenance) may reduce the rate and severity of injury.

This study describes the first aid used and clinical outcomes of all patients who presented to th... more This study describes the first aid used and clinical outcomes of all patients who presented to the Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia in 2005 with an acute burn injury. A retrospective audit was performed with the charts of 459 patients and information concerning burn injury, first-aid treatment, and clinical outcomes was collected. First aid was used on 86.1% of patients, with 8.7% receiving no first aid and unknown treatment in 5.2% of cases. A majority of patients had cold water as first aid (80.2%), however, only 12.1% applied the cold water for the recommended 20 minutes or longer. Recommended first aid (cold water for >20 minutes) was associated with significantly reduced reepithelialization time for children with contact injuries (P ‫؍‬ .011). Superficial depth burns were significantly more likely to be associated with the use of recommended first aid (P ‫؍‬ .03). Suboptimal treatment was more common for children younger than 3.5 years (P < .001) and for children with friction burns. This report is one of the few publications to relate first-aid treatment to clinical outcomes. Some positive clinical outcomes were associated with recommended first-aid use; however, wound outcomes were more strongly associated with burn depth and mechanism of injury. There is also a need for more public awareness of recommended first-aid treatment. (J Burn Care

PloS one, 2015