Jillian R Sewell

Temperament in Australian toddlers

Abstract A revised validated version of the Toddler Temperament Scale (TTS) was used to develop normative data for temperament in Australian toddlers. Results confirm the accepted practice of dividing the group into younger and older toddlers, with normative data reported for those younger and older than 24 months. The TTS can be used above the normal cut‐off age of 36 months. Care must be taken with interpretation of temperament scores, especially when comparing children of different backgrounds.

Changes in longer consultations for children in general practice

To determine if the duration of general practitioner (GP) consultations, or the proportional distribution of item numbers associated with longer consultations, with children has changed in association with the demographic changes in Australia.

Hospital admissions in children with cerebral palsy: a data linkage study

The overall aim was to investigate the feasibility and utility of linking a cerebral palsy (CP) register to an administrative data set for health services research purposes. We sought to compare CP hospital admissions to general childhood population admissions, and identify factors associated with type and frequency of admissions in a CP cohort.

Tertiary paediatric hospital admissions in children and young people with cerebral palsy

BACKGROUND Many previous studies that have investigated hospital admissions in children and young people with cerebral palsy lack information on cerebral palsy severity and complexity. Consequently, little is known about factors associated with the frequency and type of hospital admissions in this population. This study used hospital admission data available for all children and young people known to a population-based cerebral palsy register to describe the patterns of use of tertiary paediatric hospital services over a 5-year period. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort analysis of routinely collected admission data from the two tertiary paediatric hospitals in the Australian state of Victoria. Data on admissions of individuals born between 1993 and 2008 registered on the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register were analysed (n = 2183). RESULTS Between 2008 and 2012, 53% of the cohort (n = 1160) had at least one same-day admission, and 46% (n = 996) had one or more multi-day admissions. Those with a moderate to severe motor impairment and those with a co-diagnosis of epilepsy had more admissions, and for multi-day admissions, longer lengths of stay, P < 0.05. Across all severity levels, respiratory and musculoskeletal diseases were the most frequently reported reasons for medical and surgical admissions, respectively. All-cause readmission rates for urgent multi-day stays within 7, 30 and 365 days of an index admission were 10%, 23% and 63%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The reasons for hospital admissions reported here reflect the range of comorbidities experienced by children and young people with cerebral palsy. This study highlights priority areas for prevention, early diagnosis and medical management in this group. Improved primary and secondary prevention measures may decrease non-elective hospital admissions and readmissions in this group and reduce paediatric inpatient resource use and healthcare expenditure attributable to cerebral palsy.

Tertiary paediatric emergency department use in children and young people with cerebral palsy

The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of tertiary paediatric emergency department (ED) use in children and young people with cerebral palsy (CP).

Medical service use in children with cerebral palsy: The role of child and family factors characteristics.

The aim of the study was to investigate the patterns of medical service use in children with cerebral palsy (CP), taking into account child and family characteristics.

Comparing emergency department presentations among children with cerebral palsy with general childhood presentations: a data linkage study

The aims of this study were to estimate the proportion of emergency department presentations attributable to children with cerebral palsy (CP), investigate the frequency of emergency department presentations in a CP cohort, and compare emergency department presentations among children with CP with those of other children.

Community Outreach: An expanding role for hospitals

Abstract Pressures for paediatric institutions to expand their traditional roles have come from changes in morbidity patterns, training requirements and community needs. Planning for new models of health care delivery has led to the development of the Community Outreach Program (COP), a hospital‐based model which utilizes existing community resources to provide early intervention services, training in community paediatrics and integtration of hospital and community based health care.

Prevalence, patient and consultation characteristics of enuresis in Australian paediatric practice: Enuresis prevalence and characteristics

To describe the prevalence and consultation characteristics of enuresis in Australian paediatric practice and assess for changes over a period of 5 years.