 Countries:
Wales
Name
Welsh Paediatric Surveillance Unit
Website
www.link-wales.org.uk
Year established
1994
Association
University of Wales Departments of Public Health Medicine and Child
Health
Welsh Paediatric Society
Population under 15 years
0.65
General information
The Welsh Paediatric Surveillance Unit (WPSU) was set up in 1994 as
a joint venture between the University of Wales Departments of Public
Health Medicine (Prof. S. Palmer) and Child Health (Prof. J. Sibert).
The management of the system was reorganised in 1996 in conjunction with
the Welsh Paediatric Society, which supports the system. Funding has
also been obtained from the Welsh Office for Research and Development
and latterly the National Assembly for Wales.
The Welsh system looks at conditions considered too common for a UK
study or too uncommon for a local hospital to perform. The WPSU uses
the same methodology as the BPSU with which we have a very close relationship.
We discuss all our new projects with the BPSU to ensure that there is
no overlap and have consequently suspended one study on subdural haemorrhages
in the past.
Green cards are distributed to consultant paediatricians and senior
doctors of whom there are approximately 135. This covers a child population
of 650,000. The overall response rate for 2003 was over 95%. The coordinators
are delighted to observe that the Welsh system appears to have enhanced
the Welsh response to the BPSU (94.3%) currently ranked first.
Mailings can be extended to include consultant physicians and surgeons
in Wales particularly where it is considered that older children may
be affected. This has been very successful in studies involving acute
and chronic renal failure and inflammatory bowel disease. Paediatricians
along the border of England and Wales have also been very helpful where
some Welsh children have been treated outside the confines of Wales.
Doctors in training may initiate studies under supervision and thereby
encourage a culture of audit and research. We are not in a position to
record responses by email at the moment but there are many Welsh paediatricians
who are enthusiastic about such a system and this is currently being
considered. The unit looks to providing the Welsh National Assembly with
data that can assist in the planning of Health Care for Children in Wales,
to act as a resource for the determination of the epidemiology of diseases
in childhood and to assist audit and research.
Conditions studied
The following studies have been completed successfully:
acute and chronic renal failure, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, coeliac
disease, the critically ill child, childhood tuberculosis, children
in housefires, facial palsy, inflammatory bowel disease, Marfan's syndrome,
newly diagnosed malignant disease, neonatal abstinence syndrome, newly
diagnosed diabetes, palliative care, physical child abuse, splenectomy
and hyposplenism, severe child abuse, subdural haemorrhage, septo-optic
dysplasia.
Two studies were unsuccessful
and were withdrawn:
ingestion of household products and haemoglobinopathy.
Current studies include:
hypernatraemia in infancy, juvenile idiopathic arthritis,
adverse events from complementary and alternative medicine, complicated
pneumonia including empyema, and non type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Contact
Professor J. Sibert - Chair, Ms. H. O'Connell - Research Administrator
Academic Centre, Department of Child Health,
Llandough Hospital
Penarth, Wales CF64 2XX
Tel: 029 20716906 Fax: 029 20350140
Email: sibert@cardiff.ac.uk and oconnellhi@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr. John Morgan
Director, Children's Centre
Royal Glamorgan Hospital
Llantrisant, Wales CF72 8XR
Tel: 01443 443534 Fax: 01442443204
Email: john.morgan@pr-tr.wales.nhs.uk
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