title: CareTrack Kids-part 2. Assessing the appropriateness of the healthcare delivered to Australian children: study protocol for a retrospective medical record review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Australian and international clinical practice guidelines are available for common paediatric conditions. Yet there is evidence that there are substantial variations between the guidelines, recommendations (appropriate care) and the care delivered. This paper describes a study protocol to determine the appropriateness of the healthcare delivered to Australian children for 16 common paediatric conditions in acute and primary healthcare settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  A random sample of 6000-8000 medical records representing a cross-section of the Australian paediatric population will be reviewed for appropriateness of care against a set of indicators within three Australian states (New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia) using multistage, stratified sampling. Medical records of children aged <16 years who presented with at least one of the study conditions during 2012 and 2013 will be reviewed.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Human Research Ethics Committee approvals have been received from the Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service and Women's and Children's Hospital Network (South Australia). An application is under review for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. The authors will submit the results of the study to relevant journals and offer oral presentations to researchers, clinicians and policymakers at national and international conferences.
authors: Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Sleep Research, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Tamara D
authors: TD
authors: Hooper
authors: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Peter D
authors: PD
authors: Hibbert
authors: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Nicole
authors: N
authors: Mealing
authors: Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Sleep Research, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Louise K
authors: LK
authors: Wiles
authors: Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Jaffe
authors: Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia New South Wales Health, NSW Kids and Families, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Les
authors: L
authors: White
authors: Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Christopher T
authors: CT
authors: Cowell
authors: Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Mark F
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0705-8913
authors: MF
authors: Harris
authors: Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences, Centre for Sleep Research, School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Australian Patient Safety Foundation, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors: William B
authors: WB
authors: Runciman
authors: BUPA Health Foundation Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Stan
authors: S
authors: Goldstein
authors: Patient Safety and Quality Unit, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors: Andrew R
authors: AR
authors: Hallahan
authors: Patient Safety and Quality Unit, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors: John G
authors: JG
authors: Wakefield
authors: New South Wales Health, NSW Kids and Families, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Murphy
authors: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Annie
authors: A
authors: Lau
authors: Division of Paediatric Medicine, Women's and Children's Health Network, South Australia, Australia.
authors: Gavin
authors: G
authors: Wheaton
authors: Russell Clinic, Blackwood, South Australia, Australia.
authors: Helena M
authors: HM
authors: Williams
authors: Clinical Excellence Commission, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Clifford
authors: C
authors: Hughes
authors: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors: Jeffrey
authors: J
authors: Braithwaite
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008499:Medical Records; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies