Table 2.
Comparison of postoperative complication rates and symptoms for mail and telephone responders by age group.
| Total sample (pediatric n = 467) (adult n = 316) | Mail responders (pediatric n = 349) (adult n = 193) | Telephone responders (pediatric n = 118) (adult n = 123) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any contact with HCP∗ | ||||
| Pediatric sample | 88 (18.8%) | 73 (20.9%) | 15 (12.7%) | 0.049 |
| Adult sample | 121 (38.3%) | 79 (40.9%) | 42 (34.1%) | 0.226 |
|
| ||||
| Visit to private practitioner | ||||
| Pediatric sample | 66 (14.1%) | 56 (16.0%) | 10 (8.5%) | 0.041 |
| Adult sample | 85 (26.9%) | 59 (30.6%) | 26 (21.1%) | 0.065 |
|
| ||||
| Hospital readmission | ||||
| Pediatric sample | 22 (4.7%) | 17 (4.9%) | 5 (4.2%) | 0.779 |
| Adult sample | 36 (11.4%) | 20 (10.4%) | 16 (13.0%) | 0.470 |
|
| ||||
| Postoperative symptoms | ||||
| Pediatric sample | ||||
| Bleeding | 24 (5.1%) | 21 (6.0%) | 3 (2.5%) | 0.139 |
| Pain | 47 (10.1%) | 40 (11.5%) | 7 (5.9%) | 0.084 |
| Infection | 27 (5.8%) | 25 (7.2%) | 2 (1.2%) | 0.028 |
| Adult sample | ||||
| Bleeding | 38 (12.0%) | 23 (11.9%) | 15 (12.2%) | 0.941 |
| Pain | 74 (23.4%) | 57 (29.5%) | 17 (13.8%) | 0.001 |
| Infection | 24 (7.6%) | 21 (10.9%) | 3 (2.4%) | 0.006 |
HCP = health care provider (private practitioner and/or hospital readmission). ∗Contact with a HCP was used as a proxy measure for overall complication rates.