AHRQ Reports on Pediatric Admissions Data
Recent data published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) details the leading causes for hospital admissions in the pediatric population, noting the incidence of pulmonary conditions, as described in the Respiratory Report.
Asthma was the diagnosis accounting for almost 100,000 admissions during 2004. This condition comprises forty percent of the admissions under the category of respiratory disease.
Among toddlers and infants seen in the emergency room, the primary diagnosis leading to a hospital admission is respiratory in nature including pneumonia, acute bronchitis, and asthma. These conditions account for almost four of every ten admissions.
The trend decreases as children age; one-quarter of admissions amongst children five through nine years are for respiratory ailments. It is the third-leading cause for a hospital stay in ten to 14 year olds at 12 percent of admissions and the fourth leading diagnostic condition among teenagers between 15 and 17 years at eight percent.
These findings may pinpoint a need for more aggressive treatment strategies to manage respiratory illness in the pediatric population, particularly for infants and toddlers. This strategy will certainly require parent and caregiver education about factors that induce disease exacerbations of respiratory illness. A multi-disciplinary team approach could be integrated which includes a health educator to conduct home visits and a nursing support helpline for when symptoms manifest.
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July 13, 2007 Related topics: Pulmonary, General Management & Administration, Trends, Pediatrics