Hospitalization rates of children with gastroenteritis in Ontario.
OBJECTIVE
To calculate hospitalization rates of gastroenteritis among children in Ontario and to determine the association of hospitalization of gastroenteritis with sociodemographic indicators and the availability of hospital beds.


METHODS
Ontario admission rates were calculated from hospital discharge data for fiscal year 1991/92. Small area variations, correlations between sociodemographic indicators and admission rates were studied.


RESULTS
The age- and sex-adjusted admission rate in 1991/92 was 411.1/100,000 with a 14-fold variation in Ontario. The availability of paediatric beds was the only significant factor associated with high admission rates, with an estimated relative risk of 6.75 (95% confidence interval: 1.26, 36.09, p < 0.027).


CONCLUSIONS
Since most children with gastroenteritis can be successfully managed as outpatients, high admission rates may be an indication of unnecessary hospitalization.
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Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario, North York.
Feldman
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Young
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Maloney
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D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors