Adherence to health management guidelines for children with Down's syndrome at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, Jamaica.

Abstract

Health surveillance of children with Down's syndrome may be inadequate. We aimed to assess adherence to health management guidelines at the main paediatric hospital in Jamaica. Ours was a retrospective descriptive study over a five-year period. Data on demographics, co-morbidities, investigations, referrals and interventions were recorded. Of 41 children included in the study, 85% were diagnosed in the neonatal period. Congenital heart disease in 29 (76%) and ophthalmological disorders in 13/24 (54%) were the most common co-morbidities. Evaluations in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines were carried out in only 46% of the children for echocardiography, 48% for ophthalmology, 30% for hearing evaluation and 10% for neonatal thyroid screening. Thus, the recommended guidelines were not carried out in a timely manner in the majority of the children. Education of healthcare providers and caregivers along with the provision of adequate resources may help to resolve this inadequacy.