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Published on: March 27, 2016
Pediatric spinal cord injury in a subset of European countries
1Department of Public Health and Research, Sundsvall Hospital, Sundsvall, Sweden.
Insights
Pediatric spinal cord injury (pedSCI) is rare across Europe, with incidence rates varying by country. Standardized, high-quality care requires better knowledge integration and a potential international network for professionals and families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Traumatology
- Public health
Background:
- Pediatric spinal cord injury (pedSCI) management and incidence data are not well-established across Europe.
- Variations in care systems may impact outcomes for children with SCI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To gather data on the incidence and care systems for pediatric spinal cord injury (pedSCI) in European countries.
- To establish a professional network for information exchange and collaborative research in pedSCI.
Main Methods:
- A postal survey utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire was distributed.
- The study included respondents from 19 European countries focusing on spinal cord injury (SCI) professionals.
Main Results:
- Incidence of pedSCI (including fatal injuries) was established only in Portugal (27/million/year) and Sweden (4.6/million/year).
- Estimated nonfatal pedSCI incidence ranged from 0.9 to 21.2/million/year for children aged 0-14 in other countries.
- PedSCI is rare overall, with care management differing based on child's age and local healthcare organization.
Conclusions:
- The survey confirms the rarity of pedSCI across Europe.
- Standardized, high-quality care necessitates greater knowledge integration and collaboration.
- The initiated professional network can serve as a reference point to reduce care variations.
Study Design:
Postal survey.
Setting:
A total of 19 countries in Europe.
Objectives:
Firstly, to collect information about incidence and systems of care for pediatric spinal cord injury (pedSCI); including prevention, initial care and follow-up in a subset of European countries. Secondly, to initiate a network of involved professionals for exchange of information and development of research and care programs.
Methods:
A short semi-structured questionnaire was sent to respondents working with spinal cord injury (SCI) in 19 countries in Europe.
Results:
Only in Portugal and Sweden, is the incidence of pedSCI (fatal injuries included) established, that is 27 children/million children/year and 4.6 children/million children/year, respectively. For the other countries, the estimated incidence of pedSCI (nonfatal injuries) varied from 0.9 to 21.2 children/million children/year in the age group of 0-14 years. Although the incidence varies considerably, pedSCI is rare throughout Europe. The management differs between the countries depending on the age of the child and the local organization of health care.
Conclusions:
The survey confirms that pedSCI is rare. In order to establish high-quality standardized care, further integration of knowledge in this area is needed throughout Europe. The contacts initiated by this survey may be used to create an international network serving as a reference for health professionals, researchers and families, thereby possibly alleviating some of the unwanted variations of care identified in this study.
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