%0 Journal Article %1 Maestro2002 %A Maestro, M. L?pez %A Alonso, C. R. Pall?s %A de La Cruz B?rtolo, J. %A Agromayor, I. P?rez %A Castillo, E. G?mez %A de Alba Romero, C. %D 2002 %J An Esp Pediatr %K Cerebr; Child; Child, Preschool; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infa; Infant; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Time Factors; al Palsy; nt, Newborn %N 4 %P 354--360 %T Loss to follow-up and cerebral palsy %V 57 %X BACKGROUND: The longer follow-up programs last, the greater the loss to follow-up. These losses to follow-up may undermine the completion of health care goals and the validity of study results. OBJECTIVES: 1) To compare neonatal characteristics in children easily followed-up and in those lost to follow-up. 2) To trace and assess children lost to follow-up. 3) To estimate the occurrence of cerebral palsy in children easily followed-up and in those lost to follow-up. METHODS: From 1991 to 1997, 601 neonates with a birth weight under 1,500 g were admitted to the Neonatology Department. At discharge, 447 infants were included in the follow-up program. Moderate-to-severe cerebral palsy was assessed when the children were aged 2 years. A specific search strategy was implemented to find those children lost to follow-up. Data on the development of those traced were updated through a standardized telephone questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty percent of the children were lost to follow-up before the age of 2 years. Fifty-seven percent of those not available at this age were assessed by telephone interview. No differences were found in the neonatal characteristics of infants easily followed-up and those lost to follow-up except in situations of critical social disadvantage: 10 \% in followed-up infants, 41 \% in infants lost to follow-up. Disabling cerebral palsy was observed in 7 \% of children easily followed-up and in 23 \% of those lost and traced (relative risk: 3.1, 1.5-5.5). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of having disabling cerebral palsy is three times higher in children lost to follow-up than in those easily followed-up. Dismissing this source of bias may underestimate disability rates when assessing health care programs or when interpreting study results.

@article{Maestro2002, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The longer follow-up programs last, the greater the loss to follow-up. These losses to follow-up may undermine the completion of health care goals and the validity of study results. OBJECTIVES: 1) To compare neonatal characteristics in children easily followed-up and in those lost to follow-up. 2) To trace and assess children lost to follow-up. 3) To estimate the occurrence of cerebral palsy in children easily followed-up and in those lost to follow-up. METHODS: From 1991 to 1997, 601 neonates with a birth weight under 1,500 g were admitted to the Neonatology Department. At discharge, 447 infants were included in the follow-up program. Moderate-to-severe cerebral palsy was assessed when the children were aged 2 years. A specific search strategy was implemented to find those children lost to follow-up. Data on the development of those traced were updated through a standardized telephone questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty percent of the children were lost to follow-up before the age of 2 years. Fifty-seven percent of those not available at this age were assessed by telephone interview. No differences were found in the neonatal characteristics of infants easily followed-up and those lost to follow-up except in situations of critical social disadvantage: 10 \% in followed-up infants, 41 \% in infants lost to follow-up. Disabling cerebral palsy was observed in 7 \% of children easily followed-up and in 23 \% of those lost and traced (relative risk: 3.1, 1.5-5.5). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of having disabling cerebral palsy is three times higher in children lost to follow-up than in those easily followed-up. Dismissing this source of bias may underestimate disability rates when assessing health care programs or when interpreting study results.}, added-at = {2014-07-19T20:44:57.000+0200}, author = {Maestro, M. L?pez and Alonso, C. R. Pall?s and de La Cruz B?rtolo, J. and Agromayor, I. P?rez and Castillo, E. G?mez and de Alba Romero, C.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/27d27abeaed549cafe1e9d1190711bee9/ar0berts}, groups = {public}, interhash = {ebb01d1ad72e15f32dbb324feacd8e37}, intrahash = {7d27abeaed549cafe1e9d1190711bee9}, journal = {An Esp Pediatr}, keywords = {Cerebr; Child; Child, Preschool; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infa; Infant; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Time Factors; al Palsy; nt, Newborn}, month = Oct, number = 4, pages = {354--360}, pii = {13036921}, pmid = {12392670}, timestamp = {2014-07-19T20:44:57.000+0200}, title = {[Loss to follow-up and cerebral palsy]}, username = {ar0berts}, volume = 57, year = 2002 }