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Pediatricians' screening urinalysis practices
Colin M Sox1, Dimitri A Christakis
1Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Center for Child Health Care Studies, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. colin_sox@harvardpilgrim.org
Insights
Many pediatricians routinely screen children with urinalysis, often at ages not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This practice impacts routine pediatric care and health screenings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Clinical Practice Guidelines
- Diagnostic Testing
Background:
- Routine urinalysis is a common screening tool in pediatric care.
- Established guidelines exist for screening urinalysis in children.
- Pediatricians' adherence to these guidelines may vary.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the current practices of pediatricians regarding routine screening urinalysis in children.
- To identify age groups targeted for screening urinalysis by pediatricians.
- To compare current practices with existing recommendations.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of U.S. pediatricians.
- The survey focused on their routine screening urinalysis practices in childhood.
- Data were collected on screening frequency and age groups targeted.
Main Results:
- A high percentage of pediatricians (78%) routinely screen asymptomatic children with urinalysis.
- Screening practices varied significantly by age group: infancy (9%), early childhood (60%), late childhood (55%), and adolescence (58%).
- A majority (58%) screen more than one age group, and 38% believe it improves overall child health.
Conclusions:
- Many pediatricians routinely perform screening urinalysis during childhood.
- These practices often occur at ages not aligned with American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations.
- This highlights a potential gap between recommended guidelines and clinical practice.
Objective:
To determine pediatricians' routine screening urinalysis practices.
Study Design:
This was a survey of a nationally representative sample of pediatricians practicing in the U.S. regarding their screening urinalysis practices in childhood.
Results:
Of the 1502 pediatricians sampled, 653 eligible subjects participated, for an estimated response rate of 49.5%. The vast majority of participants (78%) routinely screen asymptomatic children with urinalysis in at least 1 age group. Pediatricians' screening urinalysis practice varies based on age group: 9% screen during infancy (<1 year), 60% screen during early childhood (1 up to 5 years), 55% screen during late childhood (5 to 12 years), and 58% screen during adolescence (13 to 20 years). The majority of pediatricians (58%) routinely screen more than 1 age group. Some 38% of the pediatricians surveyed believe that the overall health of children is improved by screening all asymptomatic children with urinalysis.
Conclusions:
Many pediatricians routinely conduct screening urinalysis during childhood, frequently at ages not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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