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The European Journal of Public Health 2000 10(1):64-67; doi:10.1093/eurpub/10.1.64
© 2000 by European Journal of Public Health
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ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Less cases of pneumonia in children requiring hospital treatment

A register-based survey

PIRJO SAYNAJÄKÄNGÄS, TIMO KEISTINEN, TUILI TUUPONEN, PEKKA O. HONKANEN and SIRKKA-LIISA KIVELÄ

1 Department of Public Health Science and General Practice, University of Oulu Oulu, Finland
2 National Public Health Institute, Oulu Department Finland
3 Unit of General Practice, Oulu University Hospital Oulu, Finland

Correspondence: Pirjo Saynajakangas, MD, PhD, Department of Public Health Science and General Practice, University of Oulu, PL 5000, FIN-90401 Oulu, Finland, fax +358 8 5375661

Background: The aim of this investigation was to describe trends in the use of hospital services by children on account of pneumonia during a period of 22 years from 1972 to 1993. Methods: All hospital treatment periods concerning children younger than 15 years of age with a primary or additional diagnosis of pneumonia in the Finnish population, comprising approximately 1 million children, were collected from the register maintained by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health. Results: A total of 79,828 such treatment periods were identified. The figure for 1972 was 4,989 (4.6 periods per 1,000 persons) and that for 1993 was 3,170 (3.3 periods per 1,000 persons), a decrease of 28.3% In the age-specific rate. The highest average percentage decrease per year was found in children younger than 1 year: 5.7% for boys and 5.6% for girls. The number of hospitalization days was 47,997 in 1972 (44.6 per 1,000) and 13,332 in 1993 (13.8 per 1,000), a decrease of 68.9%. The length of stay in hospital decreased from 9.6 to 4.1 days for boys and from 9.7 to 4.3 days for girls over the same time interval. Conclusion: Cases of pneumonia that require hospital treatment have declined substantially, supporting the notion that a comprehensive sociomedical approach can reduce the need for hospital services.

Keywords: children, discharge, hospital treatment period, hospitalization day, pneumonia


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