B.5 Hospitalization in school aged children with cerebral palsy and population-based Controls: A Data Linkage Study

Abstract

Background: Predictors of hospitalization and reasons for admissions can inform healthcare planning and prevention. We sought to characterize the hospitalization pattern and risk factors for admission of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Data from the Registre de paralysie cérébrale du Québec and provincial administrative databases were linked. The CP cohort contained children born between 1999 and 2002. Data related to admissions were captured in 2012. Relative risks (RR) were calculated to identify factors increasing hospitalization risk. Peers without CP were matched from administrative databases in a 20:1 ratio. Chi-square tests and Student’s T-tests were used to compare cohorts. Results: 301 children with CP and 6040 peer controls were selected. Hospitalizations were increased in children with CP (raw mean difference (RMD) 5.0 95% CI 4.7 to 5.2), with significantly longer lengths of stay (RMD 2.8 95% CI 1.8 to 3.8) and number of diagnoses per hospitalization (RMD 1.6 95% CI 1.4 to 1.8). Increased risk of any hospitalization was observed in children with a more complex profile. Conclusions: Children with a more severe profile of CP and greater health care complexity face more frequent and longer hospital stays. Coordinated interdisciplinary care is needed in school-aged children with CP and medical complexity.