March 6, 2001
Researchers Take a Close Look at Health Services for Children
Two studies looking at the inpatient and outpatient services provided to Ontario’s children are being released today by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The authors are researchers associated with ICES and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. These reports are part of the ICES Atlas Report series that profile the health and health care services available to Ontarians.
Drs. Teresa To, Astrid Guttmann and Paul Dick, researchers with The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and ICES, are the authors of “Inpatient and Day Surgery Use by Children in Ontario,” a study that looked at the services provided in Ontario’s hospitals during the period 1992 to 1998.
“Our data show no dramatic change in the types of childhood diseases requiring hospitalization from those published in the ICES Practice Atlas II, 1996,” says Dr. To. “We found an overall trend that children are admitted to hospital less frequently than in the past. However, we did identify two exceptions, that of infants with jaundice and teenagers with psychiatric disorders.”
According to Dr. Guttmann, the study also reinforces a trend that has been recognized worldwide, namely that hospitalization for teenage pregnancy and live births continues to decline, although less dramatically for 10-to-14 year olds.
In addition to their appointments at ICES, Dr. To is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto; Dr. Guttmann is a research fellow with the Division of Paediatric Medicine at SickKids and Dr. Dick is an assistant professor, Departments of Paediatrics and Health Administration, at the University of Toronto. Drs. Guttmann and Dick are practicing paediatricians at SickKids.
Dr. Wendy Ungar, in collaboration with Dr. To, studied outpatient services for their report entitled “Outpatient Health Services Use by Children in Ontario.” This report, which covers the same time period (1992 to 1998), found that paediatric OHIP billings declined by 11 per cent leading to a reduction in government expenditures on outpatient services for children of 5.7 per cent.
“Close to 70% of the 1997/98 OHIP expenditures on children’s outpatient services were for physicians consultations or visits, including office, emergency room and home visits,” explains Dr. Ungar. “Our figures also show that the annual OHIP expenditure per child declined from $241 in 1991/92 to $212 in 1997/98 – a 17% decrease.”
Dr. Ungar is a scientist in the Population Health Sciences Research Program at HSC; an assistant professor in the Department of Health Administration, University of Toronto, and an associate member of the Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton.
The authors of these reports emphasized the need for future research to examine the impact on children’s health of the decreasing rates in hospitalization and outpatient health services use.
The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences is a non-profit research organization dedicated to conducting research that contributes to the equity, effectiveness, quality and efficiency of health care in the province of Ontario.
Affiliated with the University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children is the largest paediatric health science centre in Canada. Its mission is to provide the best in family-centred, compassionate care, to lead in scientific and clinical advancement, and to prepare the next generation of leaders in child health. The synergy between the hospital’s Research Institute and its patient care professionals leads to breakthroughs in treatment and ultimately, prevention of childhood disease and injuries.
This news release and the reports can be downloaded from the ICES Web site at http://www.ices.on.ca/ via the Media Section
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Judy Hodgson
Acting Mgr, Research Transfer Unit, ICES
416-480-4055, ext. 1+3602
judy.hodgson@ices.on.ca
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
G1 06, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5
Phone: (416) 480-4055
Fax: (416) 480-6048
website: http://www.ices.on.ca
or
For more information, please contact:
Public Affairs
The Hospital for Sick Children
555 University Avenue
Suite 1742, Public Affairs, First floor Atrium
Toronto,
ON
M5G 1X8
Canada
Phone: 416-813-5058
Fax: 416-813-5328