Faculty Collaboration Database

Variation in Care in the Management of Children With Crohn's Disease: Data From a Multicenter Inception Cohort Study. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2019 Jun 18;25(7):1208-1217

Date

01/03/2019

Pubmed ID

30601983

DOI

10.1093/ibd/izy363

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85064220865 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   18 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Variation in care is common in medical practice. Reducing variation in care is shown to improve quality and increase favorable outcomes in chronic diseases. We sought to identify factors associated with variation in care in children with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease (CD).

METHODS: Prospectively collected data from a 28-site multicenter inception CD cohort were analyzed for variations in diagnostic modalities, treatment, and follow-up monitoring practices, along with complicated disease outcomes over 3 years in 1046 children. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to investigate the intercenter variations in each outcome variable.

RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis was 12 years, and 25.9% were nonwhite. The number of participants ranged from 5 to 112 per site. No variation existed in the initial diagnostic approach. When medication exposure was analyzed, steroid exposure varied from 28.6% to 96.9% (P < 0.01) within 90 days, but variation was not significant over a 3-year period (P = 0.13). Early anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) exposure (within 90 days) varied from 2.1% to 65.7% (P < 0.01), but variation was not significant over a 3-year period (P > 0.99). Use of immunomodulators (IMs) varied among centers both within 90 days (P < 0.01) and during 3 years of follow-up (P < 0.01). A significant variation was seen at the geographic level with follow-up small bowel imaging and colonoscopy surveillance after initial therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: Intercenter variation in care was seen with the initial use of steroids and anti-TNF, but there was no difference in total 3-year exposure to these drugs. Variation in the initiation and long-term use of IMs was significant among sites, but further research with objective measures is needed to explain this variation of care. Small bowel imaging or repeat colonoscopy in CD patients was not uniformly performed across sites. As our data show the widespread existence of variation in care and disease monitoring at geographic levels among pediatric CD patients, future implementation of various practice strategies may help reduce the variation in care.

Author List

Krishnakumar C, Ballengee CR, Liu C, Kim MO, Baker SS, Baldassano RN, Cohen SA, Crandall WV, Denson LA, Dubinsky MC, Evans J, Gokhale R, Griffiths A, Guthery SL, Oliva-Hemker M, Heyman MB, Keljo D, Kellermayer R, Leleiko NS, Mack DR, Markowitz JF, Moulton DE, Noe JD, Otley AR, Patel AS, Pfefferkorn M, Rabizadeh S, Rosh JR, Snapper S, Walters TD, Ziring D, Mondal K, Kappelman MD, Hyams JS, Kugathasan S

Author

Joshua D. Noe MD Associate Dean, Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Antibodies, Monoclonal
Child
Crohn Disease
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Immunologic Factors
Male
Patient Care
Practice Patterns, Physicians'
Prognosis
Risk Factors
Severity of Illness Index