title: Regional variation in child mortality at hospitals lacking a pediatric intensive care unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate statewide variation in failure to utilize existing regional pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Deaths of children in hospitals lacking specialized units (non-PICU hospitals) were postulated to represent possible PICU utilization failures. A survey study was performed on hospital inpatient discharges and deaths in 1997, using data obtained from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS). Children 0-14 yrs old were studied, excluding neonatal Diagnosis-Related Groups and emergency department deaths. Hospitals were considered to have a PICU if they had a board-certified pediatric intensivist on staff, and either New York State designation as a PICU or a separate dedicated unit for children. Non-PICU hospital pediatric death rates were compared for health service areas to determine whether regional variation occurred.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statewide, 157 of 584 (27%) pediatric hospital inpatient deaths occurred in non-PICU hospitals. Significant variation was seen among eight regions in pediatric death rates in non-PICU hospitals (p < .05). The 114 of 328 (35%) New York City inpatient deaths occurring in non-PICU hospitals significantly exceeded the 43 of 256 (17%) throughout the remainder of the state (p < .05). New York City non-PICU hospital death rates also were higher than in the rest of the state, when expressed per 100,000 pediatric population (8.04 vs. 2.00), and per 1,000 non-PICU hospital discharges (2.25 vs. 1.18), respectively (p < .05). Forty percent of New York City non-PICU hospitals experienced a pediatric inpatient death compared with only 13% in the rest of the state (p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the death of some children in hospitals lacking a PICU is expected, the significant regional variation in these deaths suggests that local obstacles, perhaps unique to metropolitan areas, may interfere with access to existing pediatric critical care resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kanter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009026:Mortality; D009518:New York; D009519:New York City