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- Title
Rotavirus gastroenteritis: impact on young children, their families and the health care system.
- Authors
Liddle, Jeannine L M; Burgess, Margaret A; Hanson, Ralph M; McIntyre, Peter B; Gilbert, Gwendolyn L; Bishop, Ruth F; Ferson, Mark J; Liddle, J L; Burgess, M A; Gilbert, G L; Hanson, R M; McIntyre, P B; Bishop, R F; Ferson, M J
- Abstract
<bold>Objective: </bold>To assess the impact of rotavirus gastroenteritis on young children attending a paediatric hospital, their families and the health care system.<bold>Design: </bold>Cross-sectional descriptive survey.<bold>Setting: </bold>New Children's Hospital (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children), Sydney, New South Wales, 15 July to 4 October 1996.<bold>Participants: </bold>Children aged under three years attending the Emergency Department with acute diarrhoea as the presenting symptom.<bold>Outcome Measures: </bold>Cases of rotavirus infection confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay by age; rotavirus serotype; gastroenteritis severity score; estimated costs to parents (lost pay or leave, travel, medication and other expenses) and to the health care system (visits to Emergency Department and other health care workers, hospital admissions).<bold>Results: </bold>280 children were recruited (73% of 384 children who met the inclusion criteria and 27% of the 1037 aged under three years with acute gastroenteritis). Rotavirus was detected in 188 of the 280 (67%); most isolates were serotype G1 (86% of the 174 serotyped). Of the 188 children with confirmed rotavirus infection 78% were aged 7-24 months and 82% visited at least one other health care worker, usually a general practitioner. Seventy (37% of the 188) were admitted to hospital; 33 of these (47%) were aged 13-24 months. Estimated mean total cost per episode of rotavirus gastroenteritis was $1744 for children admitted to hospital and $441 for children not admitted. The mean cost to families was $493 for children admitted to hospital and $228 for children not admitted.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Rotavirus gastroenteritis has a significant impact on young children, their families and the health care system. Prevention of severe disease through routine infant vaccination would be potentially cost-effective.
- Subjects
NEW South Wales; GASTROENTERITIS; RESEARCH; DIARRHEA; RETROVIRUS diseases; CROSS-sectional method; RESEARCH methodology; MEDICAL care; DISEASES; EVALUATION research; MEDICAL cooperation; MEDICAL emergencies; COMPARATIVE studies; ECONOMIC aspects of diseases
- Publication
Medical Journal of Australia, 1997, Vol 167, Issue 6, p304
- ISSN
0025-729X
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb125075.x