Pediatric chronic patients at outpatient clinics: a study in a Latin American University Hospital
Journal Title: Jornal de Pediatria - Year 2018, Vol 94, Issue 5
Abstract
Objective To describe the characteristics of children and adolescentes with chronic diseases of outpatient clinics at a tertiary university hospital. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed with 16,237 patients with chronic diseases followed-up in one year. The data were collected through the electronic system, according to the number of physician appointments in 23 pediatric specialties. Patients were divided in two groups: children (0–9 years) and adolescents (10–19 years). Early (10–14 years) and late (15–19 years) adolescent groups were also analyzed. Results Of the total sample, 56% were children and 46% were adolescents. The frequencies of following pediatric specialties were significantly higher in adolescents when compared with children: cardiology, endocrinology, hematology, nephrology/renal transplantation, neurology, nutrology, oncology, palliative and pain care, psychiatry, and rheumatology (p<0.05). The frequencies of emergency service visits (30% vs. 17%, p<0.001), hospitalizations (23% vs. 11%, p<0.001), intensive care unit admissions (6% vs. 2%, p<0.001), and deaths (1% vs. 0.6%, p=0.002) were significantly lower in adolescents than in children. However, the number of physician appointments (≥13) per patient was also higher in the adolescent group (5% vs. 6%, p=0.018). Further analysis comparison between early and late adolescents revealed that the first group had significantly more physician appointments (35% vs. 32%, p=0.025), and required more than two pediatric specialties (22% vs. 21%, p=0.047). Likewise, the frequencies of emergency service visits (19% vs. 14%, p<0.001) and hospitalizations (12% vs. 10%, p=0.035) were higher in early adolescents. Conclusions This study evaluated a large population in a Latin American hospital and suggested that early adolescents with chronic diseases required many appointments, multiple specialties and hospital admissions.
Authors and Affiliations
Magda Carneiro-Sampaio
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP491107
- DOI 10.1016/j.jped.2017.07.014
- Views 88
- Downloads 0
Maternal depression and anxiety and fetal-neonatal growth
Objective Maternal depression and anxiety have been found to negatively affect fetal and neonatal growth. However, the independent effects of maternal depression and anxiety on fetal-neonatal growth outcomes and trajecto...
Vascular endothelial growth factor and pulmonary hypertension in children with beta thalassemia major
Objective The purpose of this study was to illustrate the association between vascular endothelial growth factor level and pulmonary artery hypertension in children with β-thalassemia major. Method This case–control stu...
Placental and colostral transfer of antibodies reactive with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli intimins α, β, or γ
Objective Intimins are protein adhesins of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and enterohemorrhagic E. coli capable of inducing attachment and effacement lesions in enterocytes. Anti-intimin antibodies are important for t...
Factors associated with hospitalization during neonatal period
Objective Neonatal mortality rate remains high in Brazil. The aim of the study was to evaluate the factors associated with hospitalization during the neonatal period. Methods Cross-sectional study conducted in ten rando...
Maternal restrictive feeding practices for child weight control and associated characteristics
Objective To identify associations between maternal restrictive feeding practices for child weight control and sociodemographic, behavioral, dietetic, and anthropometric characteristics. Methods Cross-sectional study wi...