Abstract/Text: The present investigation was undertaken to compare the accuracy with which two clinical rules of thumb and an empirically derived quantitative index of burn severity classify burn victims into categories of risk to survival. all three assessment protocols correctly classified the majority of the survivors. However, the quantitative index of burn severity, the Abbreviated Burn Severity Index, was superior to the Baux and the modified Baux clinical rules of thumb in predicting fatalities. It was concluded that the Abbreviated Burn Severity Index was nearly as easy to use as the clinical rules of thumb, yet more accurate and specific in describing outcomes for the victims of a burn injury.