Findings from this research project will add to the current body of knowledge regarding community responses, health care utilization patterns, social services, and costs associated with Pediatric AIDS. The study will address the following questions: What is the inpatient hospital experience for infants and children with AIDS, and what trends can be identified between 1987 and 1991? What is the outpatient experience? What is the inpatient experience for women with AIDS? How is potential maternal transmission being addressed? How have communities with large numbers of cases responded? This analysis will be carried out over a three year period. It will be based on two data sources: (1) merged discharge-billing-cost data from ten """"""""sentinel"""""""" hospitals with high incidence of Pediatric AIDS and (2) case studies of system responses to the problem in five metropolitan areas where these institutions are located. The information generated will be of considerable value in terms of understanding hospital treatment patterns, costs, demographic and utilization parameters, alternative treatment modalities, constellations of services, and community choices. The results of the cost-charge analyses will be extremely valuable in terms of future cost-benefit decisions. The study will also attempt to identify coping strategies which may be generalizable to other locations as the population of women and children with AIdS continues to grow. The applicant agency is the National Perinatal Information Center. NPIC will be responsible for all phases of the study, including data collection and analysis, site visits and case study development. Staff from the Brown University Centers for Gerontology and Health Care Research will provide consultation, advice, and background materials regarding the case studies.
