| Patterns of admissions for children with special needs to the paediatric assessment unit. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 14736636 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
BACKGROUND: Children with special needs present a challenge to those involved in their care. AIMS: To determine the role of the acute assessment unit for these children. METHODS: Case notes and other records were reviewed for information on referrals, admissions, readmission within 7 and 28 days, length of stay, and management of 86 children registered for special needs. The study covered five years between January 1997 and December 2001. RESULTS: Of the 86 children, 48 (58%) were boys; 62 children had cerebral palsy and 52 learning disability. There were 914 episodes, with 44% of these being self referrals and 35% from general practitioners; 35.5% of the episodes were managed in the assessment unit. The average length of stay in hospital was 5 days, ranging from <24 hours to 63 days; 37.5% of those admitted to the ward stayed for less than 24 hours. Respiratory tract infections and seizures were the main reasons for referral and admission. CONCLUSION: Children with special needs tend to have a predictable pattern of conditions requiring inpatient care. One third of the inpatients episodes did not need a prolonged stay in hospital. This latter group of children could be managed at home with support of community nurses. Integrated care pathways need to be developed to minimise disruption to their lives. Appropriate resources should be made available to achieve these goals. |
| | |
Authors:
|
M Mahon; M S Kibirige |
Related Documents
:
|
10629686 - Out-of-hospital care of pediatric patients. 20187556 - Paediatric gastrointestinal endoscopy: experience in a sudanese university hospital. 3740926 - Parental involvement in the lives of children in hospital. 12684246 - Hospital readmissions for childhood asthma: a 10-year metropolitan study. 23257506 - Long-term red blood cell exchange in children with sickle cell disease: manual or autom... 15346716 - Remember me: mask making with chronically and terminally ill children. |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Archives of disease in childhood Volume: 89 ISSN: 1468-2044 ISO Abbreviation: Arch. Dis. Child. Publication Date: 2004 Feb |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2004-01-22 Completed Date: 2004-02-18 Revised Date: 2009-11-18 |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 0372434 Medline TA: Arch Dis Child Country: England |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 165-9 Citation Subset: AIM; IM |
Affiliation:
|
Department of Paediatrics, The James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesbrough TS4 3BW, UK. Mohammed.kibirige@stees.nhs.uk |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Adolescent Adult Child Child, Preschool Emergencies* Female Hospitalization* Humans Infant Length of Stay Male Mental Retardation / complications* Pediatrics Primary Health Care Referral and Consultation* Respiratory Tract Infections / complications*, therapy Retrospective Studies Seizures / complications*, therapy |
| Comments/Corrections | |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: The impact of presenting problem based guidelines for children with medical problems in an accident ...
Next Document: Outcome of children with neuromuscular disease admitted to paediatric intensive care.