Children's Hospital Collaborative Ready for Fall Onslaught of RSV/Bronchiolitis Admits; Children's Hospitals Continue to Improve Care for Thousands of Bronchiolitis Patients.Health/Medical Editors & Writers OVERLAND PARK, Kan--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 16, 2000 With every fall comes another 'epidemic' season of Respiratory Syncytial Virus respiratory syncytial virus (sĭnsĭsh`əl): see cold, common. (RSV) and bronchiolitis Bronchiolitis Definition Bronchiolitis is an acute viral infection of the small air passages of the lungs called the bronchioles. Description Bronchiolitis is extremely common. admissions to children's hospitals. This year, children's hospitals participating in the Child Health Accountability Initiative (CHAI), a multi-site outcomes collaborative managed by Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA), has demonstrated improved quality of care for the thousands of bronchiolitis patients expected to seek acute care during the five-month season beginning in November. Bronchiolitis, a lower respiratory illness of infants and young children, is characterized by wheezing, coughing and a running nose. It ranks among the most frequent five diagnoses in children's hospitals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. in Atlanta, the hospitalization rate for bronchiolitis among infants is 1.5 to 2 times higher than in 1980. Recognizing these ever-growing admissions and determined to identify performance benchmarks that could guide improving care for patients with bronchiolitis, CHAI implemented an evidence-based guideline among its participating hospitals in 1999. This past year the practice recommendations were introduced in the Emergency Department where over 60 percent of treatment decisions for bronchiolitis are initiated. Two years of evidence shows that the CHAI bronchiolitis guideline provided more appropriate care and reduced hospital lengths of stay by 15 percent, according to Lisa Franz, CHAI project director. "The CHAI guideline sharply reduced the usage of bronchodilator bronchodilator /bron·cho·di·la·tor/ (-di´la-ter) 1. expanding the lumina of the air passages of the lungs. 2. an agent which causes dilatation of the bronchi. doses, and other unproven therapies including chest X-rays, antibiotics and RSV tests. We documented no significant differences in lingering symptoms or parent satisfaction when the unnecessary therapies were reduced per the evidence-based guideline," said Uma Kotagal, M.D., Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, and a physician champion of the CHAI project. According to Kotagal, the collaborative also released never-before published post-discharge recommendations that physicians are using to help parents better understand the recovery process. "Approaching quality of care through evidence-based practice, rather than focusing primarily on cost, the CHAI collaborative has demonstrated that it is possible to have an impact on cost and sustain it through quality initiatives, thus creating a win-win situation for all - especially the parents and children," said Dr. Kotagal. CHAI hospitals include: Children's Hospital of Buffalo Children's Hospital of Buffalo is a famous pedatric facility serving patients in Western New York State and east coast of the United States. It is a teaching hospital loosely affiliated with the State University of New York at Buffalo. The original hospital was founded in 1892. Charleston Area Medical Center Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) is the name of a complex of hospitals in Charleston, West Virginia, formed via a merger of previously independent facilities. It is the state's largest hospital. , Inc. d.b.a. Women and Children's Hospital, a member of the Camcare Health System, Charleston Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati Cook Children's Hospital, Fort Worth Arkansas Children's Hospital Arkansas Children's Hospital, an affiliate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States, serving children from birth to age 21. , Little Rock Children's Hospital Los Angeles Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (founded 1901) is a private, non-profit teaching hospital in Los Angeles. It is affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the Children's Miracle Network, an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping children by raising Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center is a 225-bed children's hospital Located in Memphis, Tennessee. It has more than 500 medical staff representing 45 pediatric specialties. Its pediatric residency program is affiliated with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. , Memphis Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) is a hospital located on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, California. It is staffed by over 650 physicians and 4,750 staff and volunteers. , Palo Alto Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego CHAI is a multi-site health outcomes collaborative specifically focused on pediatrics. It is centrally managed by CHCA, located in Overland Park, KS, a business alliance of America's leading 38 non-competing children hospitals. |
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