Adherence to clinical guidelines for children, review of medical records 2012-2013

– The CARETRACK KIDS study reviewed medical records for 881 children aged 0-15 years receiving care in 2012 and 2013 across Queensland, NSW and South Australia and compared their care to indicators of guideline adherence in community and hospital settings.
– Low adherence to clinical practice guidelines in general practice is contributing to a significant variation in care for children with asthma.
– It found overall adherence was 58.1% with substantial variability across healthcare settings from a low 54.4% in GP practices to 77.7% in paediatricians’ practices, 79.9% in an ED, and 85.1% for hospital inpatients.
– Adherence was low (25.3% overall) regarding review of inhaler technique in children already prescribed asthma medication. Adherence by GPs was 14.6% compared to 40.6% – 53.4% in non-GP settings.