Related Experiment Videos
Childhood morbidity and mortality in a large hospital over last four decades
P Choudhury1, P Kumar, R K Puri
1Department of Pediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi.
Insights
Pediatric admissions increased significantly over four decades, indicating improved maternal and child health awareness. However, pediatric mortality rates, excluding neonates, showed no substantial decrease, with diarrheal disorders and pneumonia remaining leading causes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Hospital Statistics
Background:
- Analysis of pediatric statistics over 50 years in a large hospital.
- Evaluation of trends in pediatric admission rates, morbidity, and mortality.
- Assessment of outcomes for common childhood disorders over four decades.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze changes in pediatric admission rates, morbidity, and mortality over the last four decades.
- To compare pediatric statistics across different time blocks within the four-decade period.
- To identify trends in the outcomes of common pediatric disorders.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of pediatric data from a large hospital.
- Data collection from four block years within each of the last four decades.
- Comparative analysis of admission rates, morbidity, and mortality trends.
Main Results:
- Pediatric admissions increased by nearly 250%, outpacing total hospital admissions (150%).
- Pediatric mortality (excluding neonates) remained largely unchanged (14.6% to 13.0%) across the decades.
- Diarrheal disorders, pneumonia, tetanus, and CNS infections were common causes of admission, with declining but less significant improvements in pyogenic meningitis, encephalitis, and tetanus outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Increased pediatric admissions suggest enhanced community awareness of maternal and child health.
- Persistent pediatric mortality rates highlight the need for improved interventions for common childhood illnesses.
- While morbidity and mortality for some common disorders have declined, specific conditions like pyogenic meningitis require further attention.
Abstract:
Pediatric statistics in a 50-year-old large hospital were analysed to find out any change in pediatric admission rate, morbidity and mortality and outcome of common disorders during the last four decades. Information was collected from four block years from each of the last four decades and compared. An increase of almost 250% in the total pediatric admissions as compared to an increase of 150% in total hospital admissions over last four decades suggest an increased awareness of maternal and child health by the community. The pediatric mortality excluding neonates has not shown a significant fall over the last four decades, being 14.6, 12.7 and 13.0% in 1955-1958, 1974-1977 and 1984-1987, respectively. Diarrheal disorders, pneumonia, tetanus and infections of central nervous system continue to remain the common causes of hospital admissions in children. The morbidity and mortality in these disorders, in general, have shown a significant decline though less appreciable in pyogenic meningitis, encephalitis and tetanus cases.