Importance of a Regular Source of Primary Care in Adolescents: The Case of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Health Services Research & Managerial Epidemiology

Debbie EhrmannFeldman¹ 

关键词: adolescent idiopathic scoliosis;    primary care;    orthopedic surgery;   

DOI  :  10.1177/2333392814550527

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

Aim:Primary care practitioners should screen young adolescent patients for idiopathic scoliosis and refer those who could benefit from bracing to prevent curve progression and the need for surgery. Adolescents without a regular source of primary care may be at higher risk for not having their scoliosis diagnosed in time to benefit from bracing. We sought to determine whether adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and a regular source of primary care are at lower risk of scoliosis surgery.Methods:We followed a cohort of 3722 adolescents (10-18 years) whose diagnosis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis was confirmed by an orthopedist or physiatrist, using linked administrative data of physician visits and hospital admissions, from 2001 to 2010. We used survival analysis to compare those with and without a regular source of primary care with regard to having scoliosis surgery, adjusting for covariates.Results:Among the 3722 adolescents with scoliosis, 12% did not have a regular source of primary care and 158 h...

【 授权许可】

CC BY