Childhood predictors of adult medically unexplained hospitalisations

Abstract

At each wave of data-gathering all subjects At each wave of data-gathering all subjects were asked whether they had been admitted were asked whether they had been admitted to hospital since they were last seen by the to hospital since they were last seen by the Survey. For subjects who had missed the Survey. For subjects who had missed the previous wave of data-gathering, the inter-previous wave of data-gathering, the interviewer was given the date of last contact viewer was given the date of last contact by the Survey, in order to ensure that hos-by the Survey, in order to ensure that hospital admissions which would have been pital admissions which would have been reported in the previous wave were reported in the previous wave were recorded. For each admission a question-recorded. For each admission a questionnaire was sent to the hospital consultant naire was sent to the hospital consultant or medical records administrator, re-or medical records administrator, requesting the following details: diagnosis questing the following details: diagnosis on admission; investigations performed; on admission; investigations performed; diagnosis on discharge; and treatment diagnosis on discharge; and treatment given. The physicians or surgeons were given. The physicians or surgeons were encouraged to give full details of the admis-encouraged to give full details of the admission , and often provided discharge sum-sion, and often provided discharge summaries or copies of the case notes. These maries or copies of the case notes. These questionnaires have been put on micro-questionnaires have been put on microfiche. Hence details of all hospital admis-fiche. Hence details of all hospital admissions for the cohort to age 43 years were sions for the cohort to age 43 years were available, if needed. available, if needed.