[Acute gastroenteritis: the cost of an ambulatory care sensitive condition]

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) has been defined as an ambulatory care sensitive condition. The recommended treatment consists of oral rehydration and rapid reintroduction of food. Nevertheless, AGE remains an important cause of hospitalization. The objective of the present study was to analyze the patient characteristics, management, and costs associated with hospitalizations due to AGE in a pediatrics department.

We conducted a prospective observational study of patients aged 1 month to 14 years old admitted to our hospital because of AGE over a 1-year period. Information was collected on clinical presentation, etiology, treatment, tests, length of hospital stay, and costs associated with the episode.

AGE was the cause of admission in 16.5 % of our patients (65 episodes, 62 patients) with two seasonal peaks (February-March and August). A causative agent was isolated in 68.6 % of the patients with a stool test (35 % rotavirus, 31.3 % Salmonella, 1.9 % Shigella). Although 74 % of the patients had mild dehydration, exclusive oral rehydration therapy was provided in very few patients: 89.2 % of the patients were treated with IV therapy and 20 % with antibiotics. The total length of stay was 206 days (mean 3.1 days). The direct medical cost was 44,254.74 euros (median 710.46 euros/patient, 95 % CI: 616.37-804.56 euros) and the main component of this cost (82.9 %) was hospitalization. Conclusions AGE was one of the main causes of hospitalization in our department. The use of oral rehydration was low. The economic and social cost was considerable.