Pediatric health service utilization at tertiary hospitals in Denmark 2000-2018

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare Research
• Public Health Policy
• Hospital Management

Background:

• Pediatric health service delivery varies significantly across and within nations.
• Limited healthcare resources necessitate data-driven prioritization of pediatric tertiary hospital services.
• Understanding patient contact patterns is crucial for resource allocation and service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze pediatric tertiary hospital contact data in Denmark from 2000 to 2018.
• To identify trends in patient demographics, diagnoses, and healthcare utilization.
• To inform future pediatric healthcare organization and resource management.

Main Methods:

• Population-based register study of all pediatric (0-17 years) contacts at four Danish tertiary hospitals (2000-2018).
• Data collected on inpatient and outpatient contacts, including hospital, sex, age, diagnosis, department, and residence.
• Analysis of 829,562 inpatient and 3,932,744 outpatient contacts.

Main Results:

• Male patients represented a higher proportion of both inpatient (55.51%) and outpatient (52.40%) contacts.
• Severe chronic diseases were diagnosed in 28.23% of inpatient and 21.02% of outpatient contacts, with inter-hospital variations.
• While total outpatient visits increased, the proportion with severe chronic disease diagnoses declined between 2000 and 2018.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric healthcare at Danish tertiary hospitals shows a trend towards managing less severe conditions over time.
• Disparities in uptake and diagnosis severity exist across different hospitals.
• Findings highlight the need for careful consideration of these factors in future national and international pediatric healthcare comparisons and organization.