Premium
Clinical outcomes of Queensland children with cystic fibrosis: a comparison between tertiary centre and outreach services
Author(s) -
Thomas Clare L,
O’Rourke Peter K,
Wainwright Claire E
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2008.tb01554.x
Subject(s) - medicine , outreach , cystic fibrosis , tertiary care , multidisciplinary approach , retrospective cohort study , pediatrics , service delivery framework , pulmonary function testing , emergency medicine , family medicine , service (business) , social science , economy , sociology , economics , political science , law
Objective: To evaluate and compare the clinical outcomes of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) managed primarily at a tertiary cystic fibrosis centre (CFC) with those treated at regional centres by local health care professionals and the cystic fibrosis outreach service (CFOS). Design, setting and patients: Retrospective study of 273 children with CF born between 19 October 1982 and 19 February 2002 and with clinical data available between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2002. Patients were grouped into CFC ( n = 131) or CFOS ( n = 142), with CFOS then further categorised into three groups depending on the level of care they received. Main outcome measures: Pulmonary function, Pseudomonas aeruginosa status, height and weight z scores, and hospital admission rates. Results: There were no significant differences in pulmonary function, P. aeruginosa status, or height and weight z scores between children managed by CFC or by CFOS. Children receiving more care at the CFC (level of care [LOC] 1 and 2) were more likely to have multiple hospital admissions than children receiving more care in regional areas (LOC 3 and 4) ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: The CFOS model provides effective delivery of specialised multidisciplinary care to children and adolescents living in rural and regional Queensland.