Low-value Care, and Variation in Practice for Children Hospitalized With Bronchiolitis

Background: Low-value care is defined as the use of a health service, such as diagnostics and treatments, for which the harms or costs outweigh the benefits. Reducing low-value care is important in improving the health of Canadians and achieving a sustainable, high-quality healthcare system. Bronchiolitis is among the most common and most costly causes of hospitalizations in children. Most healthcare costs associated with bronchiolitis are related to hospitalization, and these costs have been increasing. Supportive care is recommended by national guidelines for the treatment of bronchiolitis, and many commonly used diagnostics and treatments in bronchiolitis are considered low-value, making it a great model to study low-value care in pediatrics. To develop effective interventions to reduce low-value care, and ensure the right resources go to the right patient at the right time, it is crucial to develop a better understanding of inpatient management of bronchiolitis in Canada.

The goal of this prospective multi-site observational study is to analyze the use of 6 low-value healthcare services in children diagnosed with bronchiolitis, their costs, and measure the variability in practice of these services.

Specific objectives: Among infants admitted with bronchiolitis at 15 Canadian hospitals with pediatric admissions, to:

1. Measure the incidence, patterns, and predictors of use of 6 low-value care health services and their costs in children hospitalized for bronchiolitis, namely 1) respiratory virus testing; 2) chest x-rays; 3) continuous pulse oximetry; 4) short-acting beta-agonists; 5) systemic corticosteroids; and 6) antibiotics;
2. Estimate the extent of practice variation in the use of 6 low-value health services between hospitals;
3. Determine whether differences in use of low-value health services are associated with patient and family characteristics (e.g., race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language), and whether these contribute to disparities in care.

Design: A multi-centre (n=15), prospective observational cohort study of children hospitalized with bronchiolitis. Data will be obtained from medical charts and entered into a central, web-based REDCap database. A health equity questionnaire will be completed by participants once during their child's admission and then again 30 days later to inquire on additional medical care required post-admission. Secondary outcomes and covariates will also be collected which include but are not limited to duration of ICU stay, use of mechanical ventilation, cardiac arrest, length of hospital stay, disease severity, clinician years of experience, and death.

Analysis of the primary outcome will be descriptive for each low-value health service, overall and stratified by sex. Costs of hospitalization will be assessed from a healthcare institution perspective. Cost of each of low-value health service will be described and compared between one another and across sites to identify key differences which may be targets for process change.

This study will provide important data to understand the use of low-value care in bronchiolitis treatment in Canada, and will inform our approach to addressing low-value care in bronchiolitis and in other common conditions.