Referral rates for children with acute gastroenteritis: a retrospective cohort study

Background Hospital admission rates are increasing for children with acute gastroenteritis. However, it is unknown whether this increase is accompanied by an increase in referral rates from GPs due to increased workloads in primary care out-of-hours (OOH) services. Aim To assess trends in referral rates from primary care OOH services to specialist emergency care for children presenting with acute gastroenteritis. Design & setting This retrospective cohort study covered a period from September 2007–September 2014. Children aged 6 months to 6 years presenting with acute gastroenteritis to a primary care OOH service were included. Method Pseudonymised data were obtained, and children were analysed overall and by age category. Χ2 trend tests were used to assess rates of acute gastroenteritis, referrals, face-to-face contacts, and oral rehydration therapy (ORT) prescriptions. Results The data included 12 455 children (6517 boys), with a median age of 20.2 months (interquartile range [IQR] 11.6 to 36.0 months). Over 7 years, incidence rates of acute gastroenteritis decreased significantly, and face-to-face contact rates increased significantly (both, P Conclusion Incidence rates for childhood acute gastroenteritis presenting in OOH services decreased and referral rates did not increase significantly. These findings may be useful as a reference for the impact of new interventions for childhood acute gastroenteritis.