Repeat hospital admissions occur with bronchiectasis and data from Europe, USA and New Zealand suggests that bronchiectasis results in high hospital costs. In Australia, bronchiectasis has only recently been recognised as diagnostic-related group to allow healthcare utilisation to be assessed. Preliminary work by the Team has suggested that paediatric bronchiectasis hospitalisations typically cost approximately $20,000. The CRE provides an opportunity investigate this further.

Aim

To determine Australian paediatric bronchiectasis healthcare utilisation and to investigate patterns of potentially preventable healthcare.

Approach

In and out of hospital resource use data collected as part of the completed RCTs (BEST-1 & -2) and from the Australian Bronchiectasis Registry will be used to estimate healthcare resource use. In addition, potentially preventable healthcare resource use will be determined with the effective management of bronchiectasis. Economic evaluations will also be undertaken as part of the RCTs being conducted within the CRE.

This study is funded through the AusBREATHE CRE.