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Wells J, Shah A, Gillis H, Gustafson S, Powell C, Krasaelap A, Hanna S, Hoefert JA, Bigelow A, Sherwin J, Lewis EC, Bline KE. Tiny patients, huge impact: a call to action. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1423736. [PMID: 38952729 PMCID: PMC11215126 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1423736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The continuation of high-quality care is under threat for the over 70 million children in the United States. Inequities between Medicaid and Medicare payments and the current procedural-based reimbursement model have resulted in the undervaluing of pediatric medical care and lack of prioritization of children's health by institutions. The number of pediatricians, including pediatric subspecialists, and pediatric healthcare centers are declining due to mounting financial obstacles and this crucial healthcare supply is no longer able to keep up with demand. The reasons contributing to these inequities are clear and rational: Medicaid has significantly lower rates of reimbursement compared to Medicare, yet Medicaid covers almost half of children in the United States and creates the natural incentive for medical institutions to prioritize the care of adults. Additionally, certain aspects of children's healthcare are unique from adults and are not adequately covered in the current payment model. The result of decades of devaluing children's healthcare has led to a substantial decrease in the availability of services, medications, and equipment needed to provide healthcare to children across the nation. Fortunately, the solution is just as clear as the problem: we must value the healthcare of children as much as that of adults by increasing Medicaid funding to be on par with Medicare and appreciate the complexities of care beyond procedures. If these changes are not made, the high-quality care for children in the US will continue to decline and increase strain on the overall healthcare system as these children age into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordee Wells
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Anita Shah
- Division of Hospital Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Holly Gillis
- Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Pediatric Anesthestiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Sarah Gustafson
- Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Carmin Powell
- Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Amornluck Krasaelap
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, SeattleChildren’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Samantha Hanna
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Hoefert
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Amee Bigelow
- The Heart Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Jennifer Sherwin
- Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery,Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Emilee C. Lewis
- Division of Hospital Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics,University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Katherine E. Bline
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States
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Brown L, França UL, McManus ML. Neighborhood Poverty and Distance to Pediatric Hospital Care. Acad Pediatr 2023; 23:1276-1281. [PMID: 36754164 DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the relationship between neighborhood poverty and geographic access to pediatric inpatient care. METHODS This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study using 2017-18 hospital and demographic data, as well as geographic data from the 2010 census. Acute care hospitals in 17 states were included, comprising approximately one-third of the national population. The main outcome was distance to capable pediatric hospital care by neighborhood Area Deprivation Index (ADI), both overall and by urbanicity. RESULTS Median distance to pediatric hospital care increased linearly with poverty across ADI national deciles (Pearson coefficient of 0.986; P < .001). The most advantaged neighborhoods were a median of 2.5 miles from the nearest pediatric capable hospital (interquartile range [IQR] 1.2-5.6) while those in the most disadvantaged were a median of 13.8 miles away (IQR 3.3-35.9; P < .001). The nearest hospital admitted children in 51.17% (7927) of advantaged neighborhoods (lowest national ADI quintile) and only 26.02% (3729) of disadvantaged neighborhoods (highest national ADI quintile). The association between poverty and median distance to care was observed in rural, suburban, and urban census block groups (P < .001 for all trends). In suburban neighborhoods, children from the most disadvantaged neighborhoods were 3 times as likely as children from the most advantaged neighborhoods to live more than 20 miles from pediatric inpatient care (27.85%, 456,533 of children from bottom quintile neighborhoods vs 9.24%, 259,787 of children from top quintile neighborhoods, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Distances to capable pediatric hospital care are greater from poor than affluent neighborhoods. This carries potential implications for disparities in pediatric health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Brown
- Division of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital (L Brown, UL França, and ML McManus), Boston, Mass; Harvard Medical School (L Brown, UL França, and ML McManus), Boston, Mass; Department of Anesthesiology, Mass General Brigham, Brigham and Women's Hospital (L Brown), Boston, Mass.
| | - Urbano L França
- Division of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital (L Brown, UL França, and ML McManus), Boston, Mass; Harvard Medical School (L Brown, UL França, and ML McManus), Boston, Mass
| | - Michael L McManus
- Division of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital (L Brown, UL França, and ML McManus), Boston, Mass; Harvard Medical School (L Brown, UL França, and ML McManus), Boston, Mass
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3
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Michelson KA, McGarghan FLE, Patterson EE, Waltzman ML, Samuels-Kalow ME, Greco KF. Clinician factors associated with delayed diagnosis of appendicitis. Diagnosis (Berl) 2023; 10:183-186. [PMID: 36482753 PMCID: PMC10191871 DOI: 10.1515/dx-2022-0119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the association of clinician demographics and practice patterns with delayed diagnosis of appendicitis. METHODS We included children with appendicitis at 13 regional emergency departments (EDs). We screened patients with a previous ED visit within 7 days for delayed diagnosis by chart review. We evaluated the association of clinician characteristics using logistic regression with random intercepts for site and clinician and delay as the outcome. RESULTS Among 7,452 children with appendicitis, 105 (1.4%) had delayed diagnosis. Clinicians in the lowest quartile of obtaining blood in their general practice were more likely to have delayed diagnosis (odds ratio 4.9 compared to highest quartile, 95% confidence interval 1.8, 13.8). Clinicians' imaging rates, specialty, sex, and experience were not associated with delayed diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians who used more blood tests in their general practice had a lower risk of delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, possible evidence that lower risk tolerance has benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Michelson
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, South Shore Hospital, Weymouth, MA
| | - Finn L E McGarghan
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Emma E Patterson
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark L Waltzman
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, South Shore Hospital, Weymouth, MA
| | | | - Kimberly F Greco
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
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4
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Musselman E, Shea K, Johnson L. Developmentally Appropriate Care of Pediatric Patients in the Perioperative Setting. AORN J 2023; 117:98-108. [PMID: 36705448 DOI: 10.1002/aorn.13863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Pediatric patients do not undergo procedures exclusively at pediatric specialty facilities. Many perioperative nurses will care for a pediatric patient at some point in their career. Children and their caregivers often experience elevated levels of anxiety during the perioperative experience. Possessing knowledge of the child's age and developmental stage and using effective communication techniques can decrease this anxiety. This article presents insights into the stages of pediatric cognitive and psychosocial development and special pediatric health care considerations. Approaching and interacting with a child in a manner appropriate for their age and developmental stage can foster a more trusting nurse-child-caregiver relationship and reassure the caregiver that the perioperative team is providing their child with safe, high-quality care. Also included are five hypothetical case studies that illustrate effective communication styles and developmentally appropriate techniques that personnel can apply during the pediatric patient's perioperative experience.
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Smith MA, Dinh D, Ly NP, Ward SL, McGarry ME, Zinter MS. Changes in the Use of Invasive and Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation in Pediatric Asthma: 2009-2019. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2023; 20:245-253. [PMID: 36315585 PMCID: PMC9989865 DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.202205-461oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Despite lower overall hospitalization rates for asthma in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of pediatric patients receiving intensive care management in the United States. Objectives: To investigate how the use of invasive and noninvasive mechanical ventilation for asthma has changed in the context of an evolving cohort of critically ill pediatric patients with asthma. Methods: We analyzed children admitted to intensive care units for asthma from 2009 through 2019 in the Virtual Pediatric Systems database. Regression analyses were used to evaluate how respiratory support interventions, mortality, and patient characteristics have changed over time. Odds ratios were calculated to determine how patient characteristics were associated with respiratory support needs. Stratified analyses were performed to determine how changing practice patterns may have differed between patient subgroups. Results: There were 67,614 admissions for 56,727 patients analyzed. Intubation occurred in 4.6% of admissions and decreased from 6.9% to 3.4% over time (P < 0.001), whereas noninvasive ventilation as the maximal respiratory support increased from 8.9% to 20.0% (P < 0.001). Over time, the cohort shifted to include more 2- to 6-year-olds and patients of Asian/Pacific Islander or Hispanic race/ethnicity. Although intubation decreased and noninvasive ventilation increased in all subgroups, the changes were most pronounced in the youngest patients and slightly less pronounced for obese patients. Conclusions: In pediatric asthma, use of intubation has halved, whereas use of noninvasive ventilation has more than doubled. This change in practice appears partially related to a younger patient cohort, although other factors merit exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Doantrang Dinh
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Ngoc P. Ly
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; and
| | | | - Meghan E. McGarry
- Division of Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; and
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Nasr VG, França UL, Nathan M, DiNardo JA, Faraoni D, McManus ML. Patients With Congenital Heart Disease Undergoing Noncardiac Procedures at Hospitals With and Without a Cardiac Surgical Program. J Am Heart Assoc 2022; 11:e026267. [PMID: 35862142 PMCID: PMC9375505 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.122.026267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background The type and location of hospitals where patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) undergo noncardiac procedures have not been investigated. This study aimed to describe (1) the characteristics of these patients, (2) the distribution of procedures among hospitals with and without a cardiac surgical program and travel distances, (3) the characteristics determining the distribution, and (4) mortality rates. Methods and Results This is a retrospective cohort analysis of inpatient data from the Center for Healthcare Information and Analysis of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Texas Healthcare Information Collection, and Health Care Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database. Children <18 years old with CHD who underwent noncardiac procedures were included. Distances were calculated using the Haversine formula. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the odds of a procedure at a hospital with a cardiac program. There were 7435 encounters at 235 hospitals analyzed. Most procedures (87.8%) occurred at hospitals with a cardiac program. Patients at a hospital without a cardiac program had simple CHD (72.4%) with <1% with single ventricle disease. At hospitals with a cardiac program, 56.8% had simple CHD, 35.4% complex CHD, and 7.8% single ventricle disease. The median distance traveled was 25.2 miles (interquartile range, 10.3–73.8 miles) to a hospital with a cardiac program and 14.6 miles (interquartile range, 6.2–37.4 miles) to a hospital without a cardiac program (P<0.001). Single ventricle disease (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 16.25 [95% CI, 7.22–36.61]) and ≥6 chronic conditions (aOR, 1.81 [95% CI, 1.57–2.09]) were associated with performance at a hospital with a cardiac program. Mortality rate was 3.8%. Conclusions Patients with CHD are more likely to travel to a hospital with a cardiac program for noncardiac procedures than to a hospital without; especially patients with single ventricle disease, other complex CHD, and with ≥6 chronic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane G Nasr
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA
| | - Urbano L França
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA
| | - Meena Nathan
- Department of Cardiac Surgery Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA
| | - James A DiNardo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA
| | - David Faraoni
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine Houston TX
| | - Michael L McManus
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston MA
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7
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Zhong H, Thor P, Illescas A, Cozowicz C, Della Valle AG, Liu J, Memtsoudis SG, Poeran J. An Overview of Commonly Used Data Sources in Observational Research in Anesthesia. Anesth Analg 2022; 134:548-558. [PMID: 35180172 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0000000000005880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Anesthesia research using existing databases has drastically expanded over the last decade. The most commonly used data sources in multi-institutional observational research are administrative databases and clinical registries. These databases are powerful tools to address research questions that are difficult to answer with smaller samples or single-institution information. Given that observational database research has established itself as valuable field in anesthesiology, we systematically reviewed publications in 3 high-impact North American anesthesia journals in the past 5 years with the goal to characterize its scope. We identified a wide range of data sources used for anesthesia-related research. Research topics ranged widely spanning questions regarding optimal anesthesia type and analgesic protocols to outcomes and cost of care both on a national and a local level. Researchers should choose their data sources based on various factors such as the population encompassed by the database, ability of the data to adequately address the research question, budget, acceptable limitations, available data analytics resources, and pipeline of follow-up studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyan Zhong
- From the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York
| | - Pa Thor
- From the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York
| | - Alex Illescas
- From the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York
| | - Crispiana Cozowicz
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Jiabin Liu
- From the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York.,Departments of Anesthesiology
| | - Stavros G Memtsoudis
- From the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Management, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York.,Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.,Departments of Anesthesiology.,Health Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Jashvant Poeran
- Departments of Population Health Science and Policy.,Department of Orthopedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science, New York, New York
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8
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Brown L, França UL, McManus ML. Opportunities for Restructuring Hospital Transfer Networks for Pediatric Asthma. Acad Pediatr 2022; 22:29-36. [PMID: 34051373 DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the current system of pediatric asthma care and identify potential options for unloading tertiary centers. METHODS Retrospective, cross-sectional study using 2014 inpatient and emergency department all-encounter administrative datasets from Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York. Study participants included children <18 with primary diagnosis of asthma. RESULTS There were 174,239 encounters for pediatric asthma, with 26,316 admissions and 3101 transfers. About 94.4% of transfers were admitted, with median stay length 2 days (interquartile range [IQR] 1.0-3.0). About 637 hospitals saw pediatric asthma, but 58.7% never admitted these patients. Fifty-four hospitals (8.5%) regularly received transfers; these hospitals were broadly capable pediatric centers (mean pediatric hospital capability indices = 0.82, IQR: 0.64-0.89). Two hundred nine facilities (32.8%) did not regularly receive transfers but were highly capable of caring for pediatric asthma (mean condition-specific capability = 0.92, IQR: 0.85-1.00). Median distance from transferring hospitals to the nearest pediatric center was 25.7 miles (IQR: 6.45-50.15) vs 18.0 miles (IQR: 8.35-29.25) to the nearest potential receiving hospital. Mean cost of a 2-day asthma admission in receiving hospitals was $3927 (IQR: $3083-$4894) versus $3427 (IQR: $2485-$4102) in potential receivers. CONCLUSIONS While nearly all acute care hospitals encounter children with asthma, more than half never admit them. Children are primarily transferred to a small subset of specialized centers, despite the existence, in many regions, of closer community hospitals with high pediatric asthma capability. In settings with long transfer distances and tertiary center crowding, a tiered system of hospital care for pediatric asthma may be feasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Brown
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Division of Critical Care, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Mass.
| | - Urbano L França
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Division of Critical Care, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Mass
| | - Michael L McManus
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Division of Critical Care, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Mass
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9
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES To describe the geography of pediatric critical care services and the relationship between poverty and distance to these services across the United States. DESIGN Retrospective, cross-sectional study. SETTING Contiguous United States. PATIENTS Children less than 18 years as represented in the 2016 American Community Survey. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Pediatric critical care services were geographically concentrated within urban areas, with half of all PICUs located within 9.5 miles of another (interquartile range, 3.4-51.5 miles). Median distances from neighborhoods to the nearest unit increased linearly with Area Deprivation Index (p < 0.001), such that the median distance from the least privileged neighborhoods was nearly three times that of the most privileged neighborhoods (first decile = 7.8 miles [interquartile range, 3.4-15.8 miles] vs tenth decile = 22.6 miles [interquartile range, 4.2-52.5 miles]; p < 0.001). A relationship between neighborhood poverty and distance to a PICU was present across all U.S. regions and within urban/suburban and rural areas. CONCLUSIONS In the United States, the distance to pediatric critical care services increases with poverty. This carries implications for access to care and health outcome disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Brown
- Division of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Urbano L França
- Division of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Michael L McManus
- Division of Critical Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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10
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Availability of Inpatient Pediatric Surgery: Comment. Anesthesiology 2021; 135:1158-1159. [PMID: 34637507 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000003983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Berry JG, Rodean J, Leahy I, Rangel S, Johnson C, Crofton C, Staffa SJ, Hall M, Methot C, Desmarais A, Ferrari L. Hospital Volumes of Inpatient Pediatric Surgery in the United States. Anesth Analg 2021; 133:1280-1287. [PMID: 34673726 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0000000000005748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Perioperative outcomes of children depend on the skill and expertise in managing pediatric patients, as well as integration of surgical, anesthesiology, and medical teams. We compared the types of pediatric patients and inpatient surgical procedures performed in low- versus higher-volume hospitals throughout the United States. METHODS Retrospective analysis of 323,258 hospitalizations with an operation for children age 0 to 17 years in 2857 hospitals included in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) 2016. Hospitals were categorized by their volume of annual inpatient surgical procedures. Specific surgeries were distinguished with the AHRQ Clinical Classification System. We assessed complex chronic conditions (CCCs) using Feudtner and Colleagues' system. RESULTS The median annual volume of pediatric inpatient surgeries across US hospitals was 8 (interquartile range [IQR], 3-29). The median volume of inpatient surgeries for children with a CCC was 4 (IQR, 1-13). Low-volume hospitals performed significantly fewer types of surgeries (median 2 vs 131 types of surgeries in hospitals with 1-24 vs ≥2000 volumes). Appendectomy and fixation of bone fracture were among the most common surgeries in low-volume hospitals. As the volume of surgical procedures increased from 1 to 24 to ≥2000, the percentage of older children ages 11 to 17 years decreased (70.9%-32.0% [P < .001]) and the percentage of children with a CCC increased (11.2%-60.0% [P < .001]). CONCLUSIONS Thousands of US hospitals performed inpatient surgeries on few pediatric patients, including those with CCCs who have the highest risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality. Evaluation of perioperative decision making, workflows, and pediatric clinicians in low- and higher-volume hospitals is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay G Berry
- From the Complex Care Service, Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan Rodean
- Department of Informatics and Statistics, Children's Hospital Association, Overland Park, Kansas
| | - Izabela Leahy
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine
| | - Shawn Rangel
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Connor Johnson
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine
| | - Charis Crofton
- From the Complex Care Service, Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Steven J Staffa
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine
| | - Matt Hall
- Department of Informatics and Statistics, Children's Hospital Association, Overland Park, Kansas
| | - Craig Methot
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine
| | - Anna Desmarais
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lynne Ferrari
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine
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12
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Availability of Pediatric Surgery: Implications for Planning Pediatric Anesthesiology Education. Anesthesiology 2021; 134:826-827. [PMID: 33909883 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000003771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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