Majority of new patient referrals to a large pediatric rheumatology center result in non-rheumatic diagnosis.
Pediatr Rheumatol Online J
; 21(1): 120, 2023 Oct 13.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37833760
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Pediatric rheumatology faces a looming supply-demand crisis. While strategies have been proposed to address the supply shortfall, investigation into the increased demand for pediatric rheumatic care has been limited. Herein, we analyze new patient visits to a large tertiary care pediatric rheumatology center to identify emerging trends in referrals and areas for potential intervention to meet this increased demand.METHODS:
All patients referred to and seen by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Pediatric Rheumatology Division between January 2019 and December 2021 for a new patient evaluation were identified. Patient data was retrospectively abstracted, de-identified, and analyzed to develop trends in referrals and frequency of rheumatic disease, non-rheumatic disease, and specific diagnoses.RESULTS:
During the study period, 2638 patients were referred to and seen in by the pediatric rheumatology division. Six hundred and ten patients (23.1%) were diagnosed with rheumatic disease. The most common rheumatic disease was juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at 45.6%, followed by primary Raynaud phenomenon (7.4%), recurrent fever syndromes (6.9%), vasculitides (6.7%), and inflammatory eye disease (6.2%). Of the 2028 patients (76.9%) diagnosed with a non-rheumatic condition, benign musculoskeletal pain was the most common (61.8%), followed by a combination of somatic conditions (11.6%), and non-inflammatory rash (7.7%).CONCLUSION:
In this analysis of new patient referrals to a large pediatric rheumatology center, the majority of patients were diagnosed with a non-rheumatic condition. As a worsening supply-demand gap threatens the field of pediatric rheumatology, increased emphasis should be placed on reducing non-rheumatic disease referrals.Mots clés
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Arthrite juvénile
/
Rhumatologie
/
Rhumatismes
Limites:
Child
/
Humans
Langue:
En
Journal:
Pediatr Rheumatol Online J
Année:
2023
Type de document:
Article
Pays d'affiliation:
États-Unis d'Amérique