An assessment of the completeness of the Massachusetts Burn Registry.

An opportunity to assess the completeness of reporting to the Massachusetts Burn Registry arose when data on the incidence of inpatient burns in Massachusetts became available from an independent source, the New England Regional Burn Program. The assessment showed that the level of reporting to the registry was approximately 20 percent and that substantial geographic variability existed. Other areas in which the registry is experiencing difficulties that bear on its potential usefulness include confusion about the type of burns that are reportable, lack of adequate control of data quality, and insufficient funds to support the registry's activities. Continuation of the present burn reporting system does not seem defensible in the absence of changes in either the reporting requirements or the reporting methods, because the level of reporting is low, the quality of the data is unknown, and the registry is not achieving goals of substantial public health importance.