Pediatric hospitalization profile in Australia: A longitudinal ecological study, 1998 to 2019

Examining pediatric hospitalization profile is important for healthcare planning and provision. The aim of this study was to identify the most common causes of hospitalization for the pediatric population in Australia between 1998 and 2019. This was an ecological study that examined the hospitalization profile for pediatric population in Australia using the National Hospital Morbidity Database. Between 1998 and 2019, there were 16,966,610 reported hospital admission episodes among the pediatric population in Australia. The number of annual admissions increased by 23.0%. Children who were admitted to the hospital for overnight-stay admissions comprised 55.9% of all admissions. Rates of same-day hospital admission among pediatrics increased by 22.1% [from 5596.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5577.0-5616.4) in 1998 to 6832.1 (95% CI: 6812.3-6851.9) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, P ≤ .05]. Rates of overnight-stay hospital admission among pediatrics declined by 9.7%. Diseases of the respiratory system accounted for 15.1% of all hospital admissions. Hospital admission rates among females rose by 6.1% [from 13294.5 (95% CI: 13,252.8-13,336.2) in 1998 to 14,105.5 (95% CI: 14,066.2-14,144.7) in 2019 per 100,000 persons], compared to a 0.1% increase among males. While pediatric hospital admission counts increased substantially, the overall hospitalization rate remained largely stable. Important shifts were observed, including a rise in same-day admissions and higher admission rates among females. The predominance of respiratory conditions in young children and increasing hospitalizations in adolescents, particularly females, highlights the need for targeted strategies such as improved respiratory infection prevention, early parental guidance for acute illness, injury prevention programs, and expanded youth mental health services.