Deaths due to thermal injury from cigarette smoking in a 13-year national cohort of nursing home residents

Objectives: To examine the nature and frequency of deaths due to thermal injuries from cigarette smoking reported to Australian coroners and to examine the decisions which surround these deaths. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting and participants: Residents dwelling in accredited nursing homes whose deaths were reported to coroners between 1 July 2000 and 30 June 2013 and attributed to thermal injuries from cigarette smoking. Measures: A descriptive analysis was undertaken to report socio-demographic characteristics of the deceased, medical history, mobility, level of observation, safety equipment provided/used, nursing home location, decision to smoke, timing of incident, time from incident to death, incident findings, mechanism of death, formal reports attached and coroners’ recommendations. Results: Ten deaths of nursing home residents due to thermal injury from cigarette smoking were reported in Australia over a 13-year period. The median age of residents was 78 years (IQR = 15.25); nine residents were female and one was male. Seven residents had impaired mobility with three residents being wheelchair bound and one resident bed bound. None of the residents were supervised by staff while they smoked, and none of the residents utilised any safety equipment to minimise harm. Burns/thermal injury was the mechanism of harm in most cases. Conclusions: This national study confirms that thermal injuries caused by cigarette smoking in nursing homes result in fatalities, particularly in the absence of supervision. It also demonstrates the complex tension arising from balancing autonomy with safety. Implications for practice: Nurses and aged care practitioners should endeavour to give effect to each resident’s wishes while mitigating the risk of harm. The supervision requirements for cigarette smoking residents should be tailored to the needs of individual residents and staff should try to ensure that residents who require supervision receive it.