Health care resource use in preschool children with cerebral palsy.

Aim: To estimate the burden of disease and evaluate which factors affect health care resource use (HCRU) in young children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: Data were collected as part of a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of children with CP born in Queensland, Australia between 2006 and 2009. HCRU questionnaires were administered at six time points. Data on resource use, socio-demographics, and disease severity were collected. Costs were sourced from Medicare, the Australian National Hospital Cost Data Collection, and market prices. A generalized linear model was used to identify factors influencing CP-related costs.

Results: A total of 794 questionnaires were completed by 222 participants (mean = 3.6 per participant). Physiotherapy (94%, n = 208) was the most widely accessed allied health care therapy; almost half of the participants (45%; 354 of 794) reported one or more hospital admissions. From the health care funder perspective, a child with CP costs on average A$24 950 per annum (A$12 475 per 6 months). Higher costs were associated with increased motor impairment (Gross Motor Function Classification System, p < 0.001) and increased comorbidities (p = 0.012).

Interpretation: HCRU in preschool children with CP can be analysed according to disease severity. Both increased motor impairments and increased comorbidities were associated with higher health care costs.

What this paper adds: Children with a higher number of comorbidities had higher health care costs, and more specifically, higher hospitalization costs. No significant change in costs was found over time as children aged from 18 months to 5 years.