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. 2017 Jun 2;18(1):239.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-017-1586-1.

Consultation patterns of children and adolescents with knee pain in UK general practice: analysis of medical records

Zoe A Michaleff  1 , Paul Campbell  2 , Joanne Protheroe  2 , Amit Rajani  2 , Kate M Dunn  2
Affiliations

Consultation patterns of children and adolescents with knee pain in UK general practice: analysis of medical records

Zoe A Michaleff et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Knee problems are common in children and adolescents. Despite this, little is known about the epidemiology of knee problems in children and adolescents who consult in general practice. The aim of this study was to describe consultations by children and adolescents about knee problems in general practice, and examine patterns of patient presentations and consultations by age group, sex and area of socio-economic deprivation.

Methods: Consultations records specific to the knee region were extracted from a general practice consultation database (CiPCA) over a one year period. Knee consultation codes were organised into 'symptom' or 'diagnosis' (sub-categorised: 'trauma', 'non-trauma') categories. Descriptive statistics were used to describe patient presentations and number of consultations overall, and stratified analysis carried out on age group, sex, and area of socio-economic deprivation.

Results: Out of all musculoskeletal consultations, knee problems were the fourth most common patient presentation, responsible for the second highest number of consultations. Patient presentations and consultations increased up to age 12-15 years and then stabilised. Symptoms codes e.g. 'knee pain' were used more commonly than diagnosis codes e.g. 'knee sprain' overall. However, symptom code use declined as age increased, more symptom codes were used in girls compared to boys, and more diagnosis codes were used in patients from areas of high socio-economic deprivation.

Conclusions: This study provides insight into the epidemiology of knee problems in children and adolescents in general practice. Future research is needed to improve our understanding of the knee problems encountered by GPs, and the influence socio-economic deprivation has on consultations.

Keywords: Adolescent; Child; Epidemiology; Knee pain; Medical record data; Musculoskeletal pain.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of patients and total number of consultations for a knee problem by age group. Patient presentations: Number of patients who consulted about a knee problem on at least one occasion in 2010 i.e. each patient was only counted once even if they consulted on more than one occasion, n = 327; Total number of consultations: Total number of consultations for a knee problem in 2010 i.e. includes every clinical contact that was coded with a knee related Read code, n = 550
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