Predicting Health Care Utilization for Children With Respiratory Insufficiency Using Parent-Proxy Ratings of Children's Health-Related Quality of Life.

Healthcare utilization came from billing data at one hospital, so care received elsewhere may have been missed. Twelve children, eight of whom died, were excluded from utilization analyses because they did not have at least 5 months of billing data after the HRQL assessment. HRQL was measured only at study entry, so changes over time were not tested. Some CAPE families did not participate in the HRQL study, and although respondents and non-respondents did not differ on measured child factors, other unmeasured differences may affect generalizability. The sample was children already receiving integrated home-based CAPE care at one center, so results may not apply to children without that program. Parent-proxy report was used because many children had developmental, cognitive, and functional limitations; child self-report was not available. The study did not test whether HRQL screening or nurse action changes healthcare utilization.

The authors declared no financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that a health-related quality of life screener will reduce hospitalizations. This observational study did not test screening, care changes, or treatment effects.