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Respiratory health service utilization of children with neuromuscular disease

Louise Rose1, Douglas McKim2, David Leasa3

  • 1Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery, and Palliative Care, Kings College London, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Pediatric Pulmonology
|August 22, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Children with neuromuscular disease (NMD) utilize significant healthcare for respiratory issues, with frequent emergency department visits. Respiratory monitoring and specialist care generally align with recommendations, but community support needs improvement.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Neurology
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Neuromuscular disease (NMD) in children can lead to significant respiratory complications.
  • Understanding healthcare service utilization is crucial for optimizing care pathways.
  • Existing guidelines recommend specific monitoring and specialist involvement for respiratory issues in NMD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify health service utilization for respiratory complications in children with NMD.
  • To identify variations in practice and adherence to guidelines at a population level.
  • To assess the impact of NMD on emergency department visits and hospital admissions.

Main Methods:

  • A North American population-based cohort study was conducted from 2003-2015.
  • Data were extracted from health administrative databases using hospital diagnostic and physician billing codes.
  • 18,163 children diagnosed with NMD were included in the analysis.

Main Results:

  • 86% of children with NMD visited the emergency department (ED) frequently, with 36% for respiratory reasons.
  • 12% of children were hospitalized for respiratory complications, and 13% required intensive care.
  • 18% received pulmonary function testing, and 8% underwent sleep studies, with utilization varying across the cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Healthcare utilization for respiratory complications in children with NMD is substantial.
  • While respiratory monitoring and specialist consultation generally align with recommendations, community and social support systems require enhancement.
  • Transition to adult services did not show reduced access to respiratory care.
Abstract

Keywords:
chronic respiratory failureepidemiologyhealth care utilizationneuromuscular disease

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