Analysis of Thai national claims from 2015–2023 identified 60,916 paediatric hepatobiliary admissions. Admission rates were broadly stable and in-hospital mortality declined, while hepatic failure remained a high-risk condition.
Key findings
- Among 60,916 admissions, 51.1% were male and median age was 10 years. The median admission rate was 59.0 per 100,000 and did not change significantly (AAPC −0.61%, 95% CI −2.90 to 1.68). Infants had longer stays, higher payments and greater mortality. Annual in-hospital mortality averaged 52.4 per 1,000 admissions and declined by 4.94% per year (95% CI −7.35 to −2.52), but hepatic-failure outcomes did not clearly improve.
Why this matters globally
The study demonstrates how claims data can monitor uncommon paediatric disease and identify groups needing referral planning and specialist resources.
Thai researcher contribution
Teams from Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University and Khon Kaen University produced a national picture of paediatric hepatobiliary service burden in Thailand.
Limitations to consider
Claims codes may be inaccurate or lack clinical severity, repeat admissions may involve the same patient, long-term outcomes are unavailable, and mortality is admission-based rather than patient-level case fatality.