Analysis of low birth weight first-born babies by geography and deprivation as an aid to policy and service targeting.

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight (LBW), which is defined as a birth weight of <2500 g, is considered to be an indicator of a range of negative health outcomes. METHODS: The feasibility of using child health data at small area (SA) level to explore patterns of LBW in an Irish region comprising the counties of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow (DKW) for the 2006-2015 period was assessed. A logistic regression model was created using R software. RESULTS: LBW occurred in 5% of births to first time mothers and was associated with living in more deprived areas (OR: 1.5) and a maternal age of over 40 years (OR: 1.8). CONCLUSION: The potential of geocoding routinely collected data to explore the relationship between child health indicators and areas of deprivation, and inform the targeting of resources to reduce health inequalities is demonstrated.

A Comparison of Summer and Winter Emergency Hospitalisations in Ireland

There is increasing demand on the Irish health service, particularly in winter months. This study described and compared acute hospitals admissions across summer and winter periods from 2015 to 2018. The analysis used Hospital In-Patient Enquiry data accessed through the National Quality Assurance Information System ­ NQAIS Clinical. There were 84 additional emergency hospitalisations in winter per week compared with summer (1.2% increase). Across diagnostic categories, emergency hospitalisations reduced in winter, except respiratory conditions which increased by 379 per week representing a 40.5% increase. The profile of emergency respiratory admissions were similar in summer and winter in terms of age, length of stay, day of week and medical card status. Length of stay was approximately one day longer for weekend admissions in both seasons. This research highlights the importance of taking a whole-population approach to winter resilience planning, focussing on prevention and optimal management of respiratory conditions.

Mortality due to SUDEP and status epilepticus.

Mortality in patients with epilepsy (PWE) is increased compared to the general population. For this reason the National Programme of Epilepsy Care, which was established under the Health Service Executive's National Director for Clinical Strategy and Programmes, identified a reduction in mortality from epilepsy as a key quality metric to monitor the success of the programme. The increased mortality is greatest in the first years after diagnosis where it is predominantly related to the underlying cause but there remains a persistent elevation in mortality rates especially amongst those with longstanding epilepsy. This group of patients is more likely to die from epilepsy, predominantly sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) or status epilepticus (SE). This paper identifies a number of studies on mortality in epilepsy from SE and SUDEP and uses this data to generate an estimate for annual mortality from SUDEP and SE in Ireland. These estimates indicate that mortality in patients with epilepsy due to SUDEP and SE account for between 48 and 162 deaths per year in Ireland and sources of mortality information currently available possibly underestimate the numbers involved especially if deaths due to non-convulsive status are included.

Revision of a parent satisfaction survey based on the parent perspective.

Parent surveys typically ask about aspects of care nurses think are important. The Parent Satisfaction Survey at a 250-bed children's hospital was revised based on what parents thought was most important for a nurse to do for themselves and their children. This report is based on a retrospective review of 1,405 self-reported parent surveys collected as a performance improvement activity over a 12-month time period. Surveys were distributed to parents of hospitalized children and were returned anonymously to mailboxes on the units. Using content analysis, a group of pediatric nurses reviewed the parents' comments to determine major themes. The themes were caring, communication, safety, environment, and appreciation. The parent survey was revised to include the themes parents identified as important.