Abstract
The Kumamoto Pediatric Association conducted a survey by mailing questionnaires to the medical institutions of Kumamoto Prefecture in May 2009. Its goal was to determine the present state of pediatric home health care in Kumamoto and to collect fundamental data for investigating how to support patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) who live at home. We found that the medical institutions that participated in pediatric home health care included 13 hospitals, 3 institutions for SMID and 15 pediatric offices. The number of patients that were supported by medical institutions was 185 in hospitals, 84 in institutions for SMID and 40 in pediatric offices. A total of 309 patients were counted. However, 57 patients visited multiple medical institutions, and therefore, the actual number was 238. For treatment at home, 51 patients used artificial ventilation, 79 used tracheotomy, 124 used oxygen therapy and 163 had tube feeding. Pediatric offices supported half of the patients with artificial ventilation who lived at home. Clinics that supported SMID patients who lived at home were located in urban areas; in rural areas, almost all the patients were supported by hospitals and institutions for SMID. It is expected that pediatric home health care might increase in the future. There is an urgent need to determine how to construct a pediatric home health care system in Kumamoto prefecture using finite medical resources.
