Background: Routine hospital statistics for England appear to overestimate use of children's wards and include numbers of well newborn babies staying with their mothers after delivery ("well babies").
Aim: To review trends in use of children's wards excluding data on newborn babies.
Methods: We reviewed routine, published, and age stratified data requested from the Department of Health to identify separately "well babies" and babies receiving neonatal specialist care from admissions (surgical and paediatric) to children's wards.
Results: Routine reports for paediatric activity contain large numbers of "well babies", (almost half the total) as well as babies receiving specialist neonatal care. After excluding these, paediatric admissions represent 9.9% of the child population aged under 5 years each year (an additional 2.5% are admitted for surgical care). Between 1989 and 1997 paediatric admissions rose by 19% and surgical admissions fell by 25% with a plateau reached in overall child admissions. There are now fewer beds in which children stay for a shorter time and there is more day case surgery. Neonatal specialist care work has risen despite a fall in births.
Conclusion: Categories should be established for reporting paediatric episodes on children's wards separately from those on neonatal units, with better identification of "well babies". When monitoring use of children's inpatient facilities or planning new units, care must be taken to separate paediatric data on neonatal units from work on children's wards. Children's surgical episodes should also be taken into account.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1718925 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/adc.85.3.203 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Epidemiological Patterns and Geospatial Mapping of Cleft Lip/Palate in a Comprehensive Cleft Center in Northwestern Nigeria: Estimating Distribution Using Geographical Information Systems.
Cleft Palate Craniofac J
January 2025
Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology and Medicine, Dows Institute for Dental Research, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Objective: This study aims to estimate the geospatial distribution of cleft lip/palate (CL/P) cases in northwestern Nigeria and to estimate the prevalence and patterns of CL/P across wards.
Design: This retrospective study utilized information from health records for inpatients with CL/P. These data were analyzed via descriptive statistics.
Analysis of the accuracy of disease prediction in pediatric ward patients based on the modified early warning score for children: A randomized controlled trial.
Heliyon
January 2025
The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, 57 Changping Road, Shantou City, Guangdong Province, 515000, China.
Background: Due to their young age and limited ability to communicate, pediatric patients in internal medicine wards are at risk of nursing assessment errors, which can lead to adverse events and disputes.
Objective: To explore the application effect of modified pediatric early warning score (PEWS) in the early identification of critically ill children in pediatric general wards.
Design: A single-blind, two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted using a convenience sampling method.
Hospital attendance, malaria prevalence and self-medication with an antimalarial drug before and after the start of COVID-19 pandemic in a sentinel site for malaria surveillance in Gabon.
Malar J
January 2025
Department of Parasitology-Mycology and Tropical Medicine, Université Des Sciences de La Santé de Libreville, BP 4009, Libreville, Gabon.
Background: The negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare service utilization has been reported in several countries. In Gabon, data on the preparedness for future pandemic are lacking. The aim of the present study was to assess the trends of hospital attendance, malaria and self-medication prevalences as well as ITN use before and during Covid-19 first epidemic waves in a paediatric wards of a sentinel site for malaria surveillance, in Libreville, Gabon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe influence of respiratory infections on Henoch-Schönlein purpura in children.
BMC Infect Dis
January 2025
National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Regional Medical Center, the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310052, China.
Objective: To explore the influence of respiratory infections on the onset of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) in children, along with exploring potential underlying mechanisms.
Method: The present study conducted a statistical analysis on renal involvement indicators in 296 children with HSP who came to the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University, as well as the IgA levels in 400 children with respiratory infections and 400 children with HSP.
Results: Compared with the control group, children with HSP exhibited a significant increase in urine red blood cell count, urine microalbuminuria, and urine protein/creatinine ratio (P < 0.
Children and young people with mental health concerns admitted to medical wards.
Lancet Child Adolesc Health
February 2025
Mental Health and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Mental Health, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. Electronic address:
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!