Progress in Pediatric Asthma Surveillance in Alameda County, California
Author Information
Author(s): English Paul B, Roberts Eric M, Van den Eeden Stephen K, Ray G. Thomas
Primary Institution: California Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Investigations Branch
Hypothesis
Can health care use records from public and private sources effectively monitor asthma in Alameda County?
Conclusion
The study found that while health care use data can enhance asthma surveillance, their utility is limited by various logistical and administrative factors.
Supporting Evidence
- The data set included records for 226,383 children, but usable data was reduced to 176,789 due to quality issues.
- Emergency department visit rates were highly correlated with hospitalization rates, indicating severe asthma cases.
- The study highlighted the importance of using health care service claims for ongoing asthma monitoring.
Takeaway
This study looked at how doctors' records can help us understand asthma in kids better, but there are some challenges in using this information.
Methodology
The study combined administrative patient record data from Kaiser Permanente and Medi-Cal for Alameda County residents and assessed data completeness, representation, and consistency.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to underrepresentation of low-income and high-income populations in the data set.
Limitations
The study's sample may not fully represent the county's population due to nonrandom selection and incomplete data from managed care enrollees.
Participant Demographics
The study included children younger than 18 years from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in Alameda County.
Statistical Information
P-Value
.20
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
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