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Beccia C, Hunter B, Manski-Nankervis JA, White M. Exploring the User Acceptability and Feasibility of a Clinical Decision Support Tool Designed to Facilitate Timely Diagnosis of New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes in Children: Qualitative Interview Study Among General Practitioners. JMIR Form Res 2024; 8:e60411. [PMID: 39312767 DOI: 10.2196/60411] [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: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Up to half of the children with new-onset type 1 diabetes present to the hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition that can develop because of diagnostic delay. Three-quarters of Australian children visit their general practitioner (GP) the week before presenting to the hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis. Our prototype, DIRECT-T1DM (Decision-Support for Integrated, Real-Time Evaluation and Clinical Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus), is an electronic clinical decision support tool that promotes immediate point-of-care testing in general practice to confirm the suspicion of diabetes. This avoids laboratory testing, which has been documented internationally as a cause of diagnostic delay. OBJECTIVE In this investigation, we aimed to pilot and assess the feasibility and acceptability of our prototype to GP end users. We also explored the challenges of diagnosing type 1 diabetes in the Australian general practice context. METHODS In total, 4 GPs, a pediatric endocrinologist, and a PhD candidate were involved in conceptualizing the DIRECT-T1DM prototype, which was developed at the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at the University of Melbourne. Furthermore, 6 GPs were recruited via convenience sampling to evaluate the tool. The study involved 3 phases: a presimulation interview, simulated clinical scenarios, and a postsimulation interview. The interview guide was developed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) as a guide. All phases of the study were video, audio, and screen recorded. Audio recordings were transcribed by the investigating team. Analysis was carried out using CFIR as the underlying framework. RESULTS Major themes were identified among three domains and 7 constructs of the CFIR: (1) outer setting-time pressure, difficulty in diagnosing pediatric type 1 diabetes, and secondary care considerations influenced GPs' needs regarding DIRECT-T1DM; (2) inner setting-DIRECT-T1DM fits within existing workflows, it has a high relative priority due to its importance in patient safety, and GPs exhibited high tension for change; and (3) innovation-design recommendations included altering coloring to reflect urgency, font style and bolding, specific language, information and guidelines, and inclusion of patient information sheets. CONCLUSIONS End-user acceptability of DIRECT-T1DM was high. This was largely due to its implications for patient safety and its "real-time" nature. DIRECT-T1DM may assist in appropriate management of children with new-onset diabetes, which is an uncommon event in general practice, through safety netting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Beccia
- Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence in Digital Technology to Transform Chronic Disease Outcomes, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Barbara Hunter
- Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis
- Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence in Digital Technology to Transform Chronic Disease Outcomes, Melbourne, Australia
- Primary Care and Family Medicine, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mary White
- Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Health Services and Economics Research Unit, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
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Rusmawatiningtyas D, Oktaria V, Pudjiadi AH, Makrufardi F, Woensel JBMV. Clinical characteristics and outcome of critically ill children referred to a tertiary hospital in Indonesia: a prospective observational study. BMC Pediatr 2024; 24:478. [PMID: 39060991 PMCID: PMC11282787 DOI: 10.1186/s12887-024-04940-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The clinical characteristics of pediatric critically ill patients who need referral to a tertiary hospital is often unknown in resource limited settings where constraints in diagnosis capacity, resources, and infrastructures are common. There is a need to increase insight in the characteristics of these patients for capacity building strengthening and appropriate resource allocation. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill children who are referred to a tertiary referral teaching hospital in Yogyakarta. METHODS A prospective observasional study was carried out from July 1st, 2022 -January 31st, 2023 which included all critically ill pediatric patients who were referred through the Integrated Referral System (SISRUTE) to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of dr. Sardjito hospital. We excluded patients who were referred with a request for admission to the PICU, but were not admitted to the PICU due to their stable condition and lack of the need for intensive care. RESULT During the study period, we received 1046 emergency referral requests for pediatric patients via SISRUTE, of those, 562 (53.7%) patients were critically ill. The reasons of PICU referral request were the need of solely intensive care 504 (89.7%), the need of multidisciplinary team care, including intensive care 57 (10.1%) and parents request 1 (0.3%). The pre-referral emergency diagnosis was shock 226 (40.3%), respiratory distress/failure 151 (26.7%), central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction 135 (24.1%), trauma 33 (5.9%) and sepsis 17 (3%). Of the 562 critically ill PICU referral requests, 473 (84.2%) requests were accepted. One hundred and eighty-one (58.7%) patients were finally admitted to the PICU, 125 (40.3%) admitted to our regular ward due to stable condition, 4 (1.3%) patients died in Emergency Departement (ED). The remaining accepted patients on request did not arrive in our facility due to various reasons. The mean (SD) response time was 9.1 (27.6) minutes. The mean (SD) transfer time was 6.45 (4.73) hours. Mean (SD) PICU and hospital length of stay was 6.7 (8.3) days and 10.2 (9.2) days respectively. PICU and hospital mortality was 24.3% and 29.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION The mortality rate for critically ill pediatric patients referred to a tertiary PICU still high, with shock being the most common pre-referral emergency diagnosis. There is a discrepancy between the referring hospital's and the referral hospital's indication for PICU admission. The time required to reach the referral hospital is quite lengthy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desy Rusmawatiningtyas
- Child Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
| | - Vicka Oktaria
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Antonius H Pudjiadi
- Child Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Firdian Makrufardi
- Child Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Job B M van Woensel
- Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, Emma Children's Hospital/Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Nicholson E, McDonnell T, Conlon C, De Brún A, Doherty E, Collins C, Bury G, McAuliffe E. Factors that affect GP referral of a child with intellectual disability for a mild illness: A discrete choice experiment. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES 2023; 36:1241-1250. [PMID: 37489607 DOI: 10.1111/jar.13143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND General practitioners (GP) report multiple challenges when treating individuals with intellectual disabilities which may influence referral rates. The study aimed to establish factors that influence GP's decision-making when referring a child with intellectual disabilities to the emergency department. METHOD Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are increasingly used in health research to further understand complex decision making. A DCE was designed to assess the relative importance of factors that may influence a GP's (N = 157) decision to refer. RESULTS A random parameters model indicated that perceived limited parental capacity to manage an illness was the most important factor in the decision to refer a child to the ED, followed by a repeat visit, a referral request from the parent, and a Friday afternoon appointment. CONCLUSION Understanding the factors that influence referral is important for service improvement and to strengthen primary care provision for this population and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Nicholson
- School of Psychology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS), UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Thérèse McDonnell
- UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS), UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ciara Conlon
- UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS), UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Aoife De Brún
- UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS), UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Edel Doherty
- J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | | | - Gerard Bury
- UCD School of Medicine, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Eilish McAuliffe
- UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS), UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, UCD College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
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King E, Dick S, Hoddinott P, Malcolm C, France E, Kyle RG, Aucott L, Wilson P, Turner S. Regional variations in short stay urgent paediatric hospital admissions: a sequential mixed-methods approach exploring differences through data linkage and qualitative interviews. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e072734. [PMID: 37748848 PMCID: PMC10533722 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this sequential mixed-methods study was to describe and understand how paediatric short stay admission (SSA) rates vary across Health Board regions of Scotland. DESIGN Exploratory sequential mixed-methods study. Routinely acquired data for the annual (per capita) SSA to hospital were compared across the 11 regions. Five diverse regions with different SSA per capita formed cases for qualitative interviews with health professionals and parents to explore how care pathways, service features and geography may influence decisions to admit. SETTING Scotland. PARTICIPANTS All children admitted to hospital 2015-2017. Healthcare staff (n=48) and parents (n=15) were interviewed. RESULTS Of 171 039 urgent hospital admissions, 92 229 were SSAs, with a fivefold variation between 14 and 69/1000 children/year across regions. SSAs were higher for children in the most deprived compared with the least deprived communities. When expressed as a ratio of highest to lowest SSA/1000 children/year for diagnosed conditions between regions, the ratio was highest (10.1) for upper respiratory tract infection and lowest (2.8) for convulsions. Readmissions varied between 0.80 and 2.52/1000/year, with regions reporting higher SSA rates more likely to report higher readmission rates (r=0.70, p=0.016, n=11). Proximity and ease of access to services, local differences in service structure and configuration, national policy directives and disparities in how an SSA is defined were recognised by interviewees as explaining the observed regional variations in SSAs. Socioeconomic deprivation was seldom spontaneously raised by professionals when reflecting on reasons to refer or admit a child. Instead, greater emphasis was placed on the wider social circumstances and parents' capacity to cope with and manage their child's illness at home. CONCLUSION SSA rates for children vary quantitatively by region, condition and area deprivation and our interviews identify reasons for this. These findings can usefully inform future care pathway interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma King
- Nursing Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Smita Dick
- Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Pat Hoddinott
- Nursing Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Cari Malcolm
- School of Health Science, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Emma France
- Nursing Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | | | - Lorna Aucott
- Centre for Healthcare Randomised Trials, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Philip Wilson
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Stephen Turner
- Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
- Division of Women and Children, NHS Grampian, Aberdeen, UK
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Tan CD, Vermont CL, Zachariasse JM, von Both U, Eleftheriou I, Emonts M, van der Flier M, Herberg J, Kohlmaier B, Levin M, Lim E, Maconochie IK, Martinon-Torres F, Nijman RG, Pokorn M, Rivero-Calle I, Tsolia M, Zenz W, Zavadska D, Moll HA, Carrol ED. Emergency medical services utilisation among febrile children attending emergency departments across Europe: an observational multicentre study. Eur J Pediatr 2023; 182:3939-3947. [PMID: 37354239 PMCID: PMC10570223 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-023-05056-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Children constitute 6-10% of all patients attending the emergency department (ED) by emergency medical services (EMS). However, discordant EMS use in children occurs in 37-61% with fever as an important risk factor. We aimed to describe EMS utilisation among febrile children attending European EDs. This study is part of an observational multicentre study assessing management and outcome in febrile children up to 18 years (MOFICHE) attending twelve EDs in eight European countries. Discordant EMS use was defined as the absence of markers of urgency including intermediate/high triage urgency, advanced diagnostics, treatment, and admission in children transferred by EMS. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed for the association between (1) EMS use and markers of urgency, and (2) patient characteristics and discordant EMS use after adjusting all analyses for the covariates age, gender, visiting hours, presenting symptoms, and ED setting. A total of 5464 (15%, range 0.1-42%) children attended the ED by EMS. Markers of urgency were more frequently present in the EMS group compared with the non-EMS group. Discordant EMS use occurred in 1601 children (29%, range 1-59%). Age and gender were not associated with discordant EMS use, whereas neurological symptoms were associated with less discordant EMS use (aOR 0.2, 95%CI 0.1-0.2), and attendance out of office hours was associated with more discordant EMS use (aOR 1.6, 95%CI 1.4-1.9). Settings with higher percentage of self-referrals to the ED had more discordant EMS use (p < 0.05). Conclusion: There is large practice variation in EMS use in febrile children attending European EDs. Markers of urgency were more frequently present in children in the EMS group. However, discordant EMS use occurred in 29%. Further research is needed on non-medical factors influencing discordant EMS use in febrile children across Europe, so that pre-emptive strategies can be implemented. What is Known: •Children constitute around 6-10% of all patients attending the emergency department by emergency medical services. •Discordant EMS use occurs in 37-61% of all children, with fever as most common presenting symptom for discordant EMS use in children. What is New: •There is large practice variation in EMS use among febrile children across Europe with discordance EMS use occurring in 29% (range 1-59%), which was associated with attendance during out of office hours and with settings with higher percentage of self-referrals to the ED. •Future research is needed focusing on non-medical factors (socioeconomic status, parental preferences and past experience, healthcare systems, referral pathways, out of hours services provision) that influence discordant EMS use in febrile children across Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantal D. Tan
- Department of General Paediatrics, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Clementien L. Vermont
- Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Joany M. Zachariasse
- Department of General Paediatrics, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ulrich von Both
- Division of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr. Von Hauner Children’s Hospital, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research, DZIF, Partner Site, Munich, Germany
| | - Irini Eleftheriou
- Second Department of Paediatrics, P. and A. Kyriakou Children’s Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Marieke Emonts
- Paediatric Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Allergy, Great North Children’s Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
- NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, Westgate Rd, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5PL UK
| | - Michiel van der Flier
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, RadboudUMC, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Amalia Children’s Hospital, RadboudUMC, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jethro Herberg
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Benno Kohlmaier
- Department of General Paediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Michael Levin
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Emma Lim
- Paediatric Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Allergy, Great North Children’s Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
- Department of Medicine, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ian K. Maconochie
- Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare Trust NHS, London, UK
| | - Federico Martinon-Torres
- Genetics, Vaccines, Infections and Paediatrics Research Group (GENVIP), Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ruud G. Nijman
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Marko Pokorn
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irene Rivero-Calle
- Genetics, Vaccines, Infections and Paediatrics Research Group (GENVIP), Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Maria Tsolia
- Second Department of Paediatrics, P. and A. Kyriakou Children’s Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Werner Zenz
- Department of General Paediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Dace Zavadska
- Department of Paediatrics, Children Clinical University Hospital, Rīgas Stradiņa Universitāte, Riga, Latvia
| | - Henriëtte A. Moll
- Department of General Paediatrics, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Enitan D. Carrol
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK
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McDonnell T, Nicholson E, Bury G, Collins C, Conlon C, De Brún A, Doherty E, McAuliffe E. The role of contextual factors in decision-making by General Practitioners on paediatric referral to the Emergency Department: A Discrete Choice Experiment. Health Policy 2023; 132:104813. [PMID: 37037150 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2023.104813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
A General Practitioner's (GP) decision to refer a patient to the emergency department (ED) requires consideration of a multitude of factors, and significant variation in GP referral patterns to secondary care has been recorded. This study examines the contextual factors that influence GPs when referring a paediatric patient with potentially self-limiting clinical symptoms to the ED. Utilizing a discrete choice experiment, survey data was collected from GPs in Ireland (n = 142) to elicit factors influencing this decision across five attributes: time/day of visit, repeat presentation, parents' capacity to cope, parent requesting a referral, and access to a paediatric outpatient clinic/day unit. Using mixed logit models, all attributes were statistically significant, with repeat presentation and parents lacking the capacity to cope identified as the strongest contextual factors leading to the decision to refer to the ED. There has been limited exploration of this decision-making process and this study uses a robust design to identify and rank contextual attributes. Enhanced awareness of contextual factors on referral decision-making is crucial to understanding patterns of paediatric unscheduled healthcare and to planning services that respond to parent's and children's needs, whilst allowing GPs to make decisions in the best interest of the child.
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Dick S, MacRae C, McFaul C, Wilson P, Turner SW. Interventions in primary and community care to reduce urgent paediatric hospital admissions: systematic review. Arch Dis Child 2023; 108:486-491. [PMID: 36804396 DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2022-324986] [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: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been a rise in urgent paediatric hospital admissions and interventions to address this are required. OBJECTIVE To systemically review the literature describing community (or non-hospital)-based interventions designed to reduce emergency department (ED) visits or urgent hospital admissions. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, Embase, OVIS SP, PsycINFO, Science Citation Index Expanded/ISI Web of Science (1981-present), the Cochrane Library database and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and before-and-after studies. PARTICIPANTS Individuals aged <16 years. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS Papers were independently reviewed by two researchers. Data extraction and the Critical Appraisals Skills Programme checklist was completed (for risk of bias assessment). RESULTS Seven studies were identified. Three studies were RCTs, three were a comparison between non-randomised groups and one was a before-and-after study. Interventions were reconfiguration of staff roles (two papers), telemedicine (three papers), pathways of urgent care (one paper) and point-of-care testing (one paper). Reconfiguration of staff roles resulted in reduction in ED visits in one study (with a commensurate increase in general practitioner visits) but increased hospital admissions from ED in a second. Telemedicine was associated with a reduction in children's admissions in one study and reduced ED admissions in two further studies. Interventions with pathways of care and point-of-care testing did not impact either ED visits or urgent admissions. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS New out-of-hospital models of urgent care for children need to be introduced and evaluated without delay. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42021274374.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita Dick
- Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Clare MacRae
- Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Claire McFaul
- Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Philip Wilson
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Stephen W Turner
- Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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Holmstrom SE, Varma S, Augustine E, Wilson PM, Ramgopal S. Longitudinal Trends in Pediatric Return Visits to US Emergency Departments. Pediatr Emerg Care 2022; 38:e1237-e1244. [PMID: 35380752 DOI: 10.1097/pec.0000000000002566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate trends in pediatric emergency department (ED) 72-hour return visits and factors associated with return visits. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study from 2002 to 2018 using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a complex survey of nonfederal US ED encounters. Patients 18 years or older were excluded. Our outcome of interest was 72-hour return ED encounter. We assessed changes in proportions of return visits over time using the Spearman rank-correlation test. We performed survey-weighted univariable and multivariable logistic regressions to identify factors associated with 72-hour return visit status. RESULTS A total of 501 million (95% confidence interval [CI], 452-551 million) pediatric survey-weighted ED encounters occurred during the 17-year study period, of which 14,353,697 (3.2%; 95% CI, 2.7%-3.7%) represented 72-hour return visits. The proportion of pediatric ED return visits increased from 22.9 to 36.5 per 1000 pediatric encounters over the study period (ρ = 0.68, P < 0.01). Most return visits were of lower acuity (73.0%; 95% CI, 68.6%-11.5%), and 8.1% (95% CI, 6.3%-9.9%) of return visits were admitted to the hospital or transferred to a different facility. In multivariable analyses, older age, abnormal heart rate, and abnormal temperature had lower adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 72-hour return visits compared with encounters not classified as return visit. Complaints of returning for test results, treatment, and diagnostic screening/administrative purposes were associated with a higher aOR of return visit. Admission/transfer (in comparison with discharge) had a higher odds of return visit status in univariable (odds ratio, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.24-2.04) and multivariable (aOR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.03-1.68) analyses. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of 72-hour US pediatric ED return visits is increasing over time. Return visit status was associated with admission/transfer, but otherwise with markers of lower patient acuity. These findings inform quality improvement efforts aimed at improving pediatric transition to outpatient care after an ED encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Holmstrom
- From the Division of Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Selina Varma
- From the Division of Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Erin Augustine
- From the Division of Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Sriram Ramgopal
- From the Division of Emergency Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
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Graham HR, Kamuntu Y, Miller J, Barrett A, Kunihira B, Engol S, Kabunga L, Lam F, Olaro C, Ajilong H, Kitutu FE. Hypoxaemia prevalence and management among children and adults presenting to primary care facilities in Uganda: A prospective cohort study. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2:e0000352. [PMID: 36962209 PMCID: PMC10022140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxaemia (low blood oxygen) is common among hospitalised patients, increasing the odds of death five-fold and requiring prompt detection and treatment. However, we know little about hypoxaemia prevalence in primary care and the role for pulse oximetry and oxygen therapy. This study assessed the prevalence and management of hypoxaemia at primary care facilities in Uganda. We conducted a cross sectional prevalence study and prospective cohort study of children with hypoxaemia in 30 primary care facilities in Uganda, Feb-Apr 2021. Clinical data collectors used handheld pulse oximeters to measure blood oxygen level (SpO2) of all acutely unwell children, adolescents, and adults. We followed up a cohort of children aged under 15 years with SpO2<93% by phone after 7 days to determine if the patient had attended another health facility, been admitted, or recovered. Primary outcome: proportion of children under 5 years of age with severe hypoxaemia (SpO2<90%). Secondary outcomes: severe (SpO2<90%) and moderate hypoxaemia (SpO2 90-93%) prevalence by age/sex/complaint; number of children with hypoxaemia referred, admitted and recovered. We included 1561 children U5, 935 children 5-14 years, and 3284 adolescents/adults 15+ years. Among children U5, the prevalence of severe hypoxaemia was 1.3% (95% CI 0.9 to 2.1); an additional 4.9% (3.9 to 6.1) had moderate hypoxaemia. Performing pulse oximetry according to World Health Organization guidelines exclusively on children with respiratory complaints would have missed 14% (3/21) of severe hypoxaemia and 11% (6/55) of moderate hypoxaemia. Hypoxaemia prevalence was low among children 5-14 years (0.3% severe, 1.1% moderate) and adolescents/adults 15+ years (0.1% severe, 0.5% moderate). A minority (12/27, 44%) of severely hypoxaemic patients were referred; 3 (12%) received oxygen. We followed 87 children aged under 15 years with SpO2<93%, with complete data for 61 (70%), finding low rates of referral (6/61, 10%), hospital attendance (10/61, 16%), and admission (6/61, 10%) with most (44/61, 72%) fully recovered at day 7. Barriers to referral included caregiver belief it was unnecessary (42/51, 82%), cost (8/51, 16%), and distance or lack of transport (3/51, 6%). Hypoxaemia is common among acutely unwell children under five years of age presenting to Ugandan primary care facilities. Routine pulse oximetry has potential to improve referral, management and clinical outcomes. Effectiveness, acceptability, and feasibility of pulse oximetry and oxygen therapy for primary care should be investigated in implementation trials, including economic analysis from health system and societal perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamish R Graham
- Melbourne Children's Global Health, MCRI, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | | | - Jasmine Miller
- Clinton Health Access Initiative, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Anna Barrett
- Melbourne Children's Global Health, MCRI, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Nossal Institute of Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | | | - Santa Engol
- Clinton Health Access Initiative Uganda, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Felix Lam
- Clinton Health Access Initiative, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Charles Olaro
- Director Health Services, Office of the Director of Curative Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Freddy Eric Kitutu
- Department of Pharmacy, Makerere University School of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
- Sustainable Pharmaceutical Systems (SPS) unit, Makerere University School of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
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Dick S, Crabb R, McFaul C, MacRae C, Wilson P, Turner S. Variation in referrals from primary care to scheduled paediatric services in North and East Scotland -a cross-sectional study. BMC Health Serv Res 2021; 21:989. [PMID: 34538244 PMCID: PMC8451077 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06986-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Factors contributing to decisions to refer children for scheduled appointments at medical paediatric outpatient clinics are not well understood. Our aim was to describe practice-level characteristics associated with referrals to general paediatric clinics. METHODS In this cross-sectional study the setting was general practices in three health boards in Scotland, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland and NHS Tayside The outcome was average annual number of referrals per 1000 children between 2011 and 2017. Univariate and multivariate analyses related the outcome to practice characteristics. For each practice the following characteristics were determined: distance from hospital; area deprivation; number of children registered; presence of ≥ 1 general practitioner with a child health interest and practice ownership. RESULTS There were 62 practices in NHS Grampian, 63 in NHS Highland, and 65 in NHS Tayside; representative annual number of referrals to paediatric clinics per capita were 22, 34, and 35/1000 respectively. In the multivariate model, the number of referrals was inversely related to number of children in the practice (0.8 % fall per 1000 children [95 % confidence interval, CI, 0.5, 1.1]) and was higher from practices in the more deprived areas by a mean 55 % [95 % CI 9, 121] compared to less deprived areas. The number of referrals from a practice rose by 0.91 % [95 % CI 0.86, 0.97] for each additional partner in the practice. CONCLUSION Some practice-level characteristics were related to the standardised number of referrals, and associations differed between regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita Dick
- Child Health, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, University of Aberdeen, AB25 2ZG, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Ryen Crabb
- Child Health, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, University of Aberdeen, AB25 2ZG, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Claire McFaul
- Child Health, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, University of Aberdeen, AB25 2ZG, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Clare MacRae
- Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Philip Wilson
- Centre for Rural Health, University of Aberdeen, Inverness, UK
| | - Steve Turner
- Child Health, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, University of Aberdeen, AB25 2ZG, Aberdeen, UK.
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