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Retrospective audit of referral and triage pathways of paediatric patients with constipation and soiling
Author(s) -
Trajanovska Misel,
Liew Amos,
Gibb Susan,
Goldfeld Sharon,
King Sebastian K
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/jpc.14601
Subject(s) - medicine , encopresis , constipation , referral , enuresis , pediatrics , audit , triage , retrospective cohort study , emergency medicine , family medicine , management , economics
Aim This study aimed to explore referral and triage pathways for paediatric patients referred to an Australian hospital with bowel dysfunction (isolated or mixed bowel and bladder). Methods We conducted a retrospective audit of patients who attended their first clinic appointment during April to June 2014. Patients were included if they: (i) were a new patient referred for symptoms of constipation, soiling, daytime urinary incontinence or enuresis; and (ii) attended the encopresis, general medicine, continence, gastroenterology, paediatric surgery, urology, renal or Child and Adolescent Mental Health clinic. Patients with an organic cause (e.g. Hirschsprung disease) for their dysfunction were excluded. Results Of 1485 new patients seen at our targeted clinics, 281 (18.9%) had symptoms of bowel and/or bladder dysfunction. After excluding patients aged younger than 3 years ( n = 43) and those with isolated bladder dysfunction ( n = 130), 56 were referred for isolated bowel dysfunction and 52 for mixed bowel and bladder dysfunction. The median wait time from referral to first appointment was 3.8 months. Median wait times varied across symptom groups (isolated bowel, 4.6 months; mixed 3.4 months) and clinics (encopresis, 7.7 months; general medicine, 2.5 months). Over a 12‐month period, patients attended an average of 3.5 appointments (isolated bowel, mean 3 appointments; mixed, mean 4 appointments). Conclusion Paediatric patients with symptoms of bowel and bladder dysfunction wait several months to be seen in a public tertiary referral hospital. Alternative pathways for care, such as community‐based primary care, need to be explored to improve timely management.