Title

Joint Programmes In Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Survey And Descriptive Analysis

Keywords

Cardiac surgery; health-care models; outcomes; quality improvement; regionalisation of care

Abstract

Background Joint programmes, as opposed to regionalisation of paediatric cardiac care, may improve outcomes while preserving accessibility. We determined the prevalence and nature of joint programmes.Methods We sent an online survey to 125 paediatric cardiac surgeons in the United States in November, 2009 querying the past or present existence of a joint programme, its mission, structure, function, and perceived success.Results A total of 65 surgeon responses from 65 institutions met the criteria for inclusion. Of the 65 institutions, 22 currently or previously conducted a joint programme. Compared with primary institutions, partner institutions were less often children's hospitals (p = 0.0004), had fewer paediatric beds (p = 0.005), and performed fewer cardiac cases (p = 0.03). Approximately 47% of partner hospitals performed fewer than 50 cases per year. The median distance range between hospitals was 41-60 miles, ranging from 5 to 1000 miles. Approximately 54% of partner hospitals had no surgeon working primarily on-site, and 31% of the programmes conducted joint conferences. Approximately 67% of the programmes limited the complexity of cases at the partner hospital, and 83% of the programmes had formal contracts between hospitals. Of the six programmes whose main mission was to increase referrals to the primary hospital, three were felt to have failed. Of the nine programmes whose mission was to increase regional quality, eight were felt to be successful.Conclusion Joint programmes in paediatric cardiac surgery are common but are heterogeneous in structure and function. Programmes whose mission is to improve the quality of regional care seem more likely to succeed. Joint programmes may be a practical alternative to regionalisation to achieve better outcomes. © 2011 Cambridge University Press.

Publication Date

12-1-2011

Publication Title

Cardiology in the Young

Volume

21

Issue

SUPPL. 2

Number of Pages

159-164

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047951111001740

Socpus ID

83755229184 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/83755229184

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