Background: In 2006 the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Perinatal Deaths was extended to pilot a collection of child deaths. This helped optimise data collection for local safeguarding children's boards, which, since April 2008, have a statutory responsibility to review all child deaths. Reviewing primary care records may highlight areas in which systems, skills, and care could be improved.
Aim: To review the role and quality of primary care in child deaths.
Design of study: Confidential enquiry into child deaths.
Setting: Five regions of the UK: North-East, South-West and West Midlands, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Method: The confidential enquiry collected core data for all child deaths (age range 28 days to 17 years) and an age-stratified sample was assessed by multidisciplinary panels for avoidable factors. An independent detailed review was conducted of the primary care records on all children in the North-East region and all children who were reviewed by panel in the other four regions.
Results: Primary care records were reviewed for 168 child deaths. There were 25 (15%) deaths from acute infection, 22 (13%) from cancer, and 11 (7%) from asthma or epilepsy. Fifty-nine (35%) deaths were sudden: sudden unexplained death in infancy, suicides, and assaults. Of 149 with immunisation records, only 88 (59%) had been fully vaccinated on time. One or more primary care professionals were involved in the management of 90 (54%) children. Avoidable primary care factors were identified in 18 (20%) of these deaths. Avoidable primary care factors included failure in the recognition and management of serious infection, failure to vaccinate, and inadequate management of asthma and epilepsy.
Conclusion: Decisions made about diagnosis and management in primary care may affect the cause, time, and circumstances of a child's death. Maintaining skills in assessing the acutely ill child remains an essential part of good clinical practice.