Assessing the quality and value of metabolic chart data for capturing core outcomes for pediatric medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency

Background
Generating rigorous evidence to inform care for rare diseases requires reliable, sustainable, and longitudinal measurement of priority outcomes. Having developed a core outcome set for pediatric medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency, we aimed to assess the feasibility of prospective measurement of these core outcomes during routine metabolic clinic visits.

Methods
We used existing cohort data abstracted from charts of 124 children diagnosed with MCAD deficiency who participated in a Canadian study which collected data from birth to a maximum of 11 years of age to investigate the frequency of clinic visits and quality of metabolic chart data for selected outcomes. We recorded all opportunities to collect outcomes from the medical chart as a function of visit rate to the metabolic clinic, by treatment centre and by child age. We applied a data quality framework to evaluate data based on completeness, conformance, and plausibility for four core MCAD outcomes: emergency department use, fasting time, metabolic decompensation, and death.

Results
The frequency of metabolic clinic visits decreased with increasing age, from a rate of 2.8 visits per child per year (95% confidence interval, 2.3–3.3) among infants 2 to 6 months, to 1.0 visit per child per year (95% confidence interval, 0.9–1.2) among those?=?5 years of age. Rates of emergency department visits followed anticipated trends by child age. Supplemental findings suggested that some emergency visits occur outside of the metabolic care treatment centre but are not captured. Recommended fasting times were updated relatively infrequently in patients’ metabolic charts. Episodes of metabolic decompensation were identifiable but required an operational definition based on acute manifestations most commonly recorded in the metabolic chart. Deaths occurred rarely in these patients and quality of mortality data was not evaluated.

Conclusions
Opportunities to record core outcomes at the metabolic clinic occur at least annually for children with MCAD deficiency. Methods to comprehensively capture emergency care received at outside institutions are needed. To reduce substantial heterogeneous recording of core outcome across treatment centres, improved documentation standards are required for recording of recommended fasting times and a consensus definition for metabolic decompensations needs to be developed and implemented.

Aim

We aimed to assess the feasibility of prospective measurement of these core outcomes during routine metabolic clinic visits.

Contributors

Ryan Iverson, Monica Taljaard, Michael T. Geraghty, Michael Pugliese, Kylie Tingley, Doug Coyle, Jonathan B. Kronick, Kumanan Wilson, Valerie Austin, Catherine Brunel-Guitton, Daniela Buhas, Nancy J. Butcher, Alicia K. J. Chan, Sarah Dyack, Sharan Goobie, Cheryl R. Greenberg, Shailly Jain-Ghai, Michal Inbar-Feigenberg, Natalya Karp, Mariya Kozenko, Erica Langley, Matthew Lines, Julian Little, Jennifer MacKenzie, Pranesh Chakraborty

Publication

Journal: BMC Pediatrics
Volume: 24
Issue: 37
Pages: -
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-023-04393-4

Further Study Information

Current Stage: Completed
Date:
Funding source(s): This study was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Emerging Team Grant, TR3-119195.


Health Area

Disease Category: Endocrine & metabolic

Disease Name: Inherited metabolic diseases, medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD deficiency), phenylketonuria (PKU)

Target Population

Age Range: 18

Sex: Either

Nature of Intervention: Any

Stakeholders Involved

Study Type

- Recommendations for outcome measures (measurement/how)

Method(s)

- Systematic review

We used existing cohort data abstracted from charts of 124 children diagnosed with MCAD defficiency who participated in a Canadian study which collected data from birth to a maximum of 11 years of age to investigate the frequency of clinic visits and quality of metabolic chart data for selected outcomes. We recorded all opportunities to collect outcomes from the medical chart as a function of visit rate to the metabolic clinic, by treatment centre and by child age. We applied a data quality framework to evaluate data based on completeness, conformance, and plausibility for four core MCAD outcomes: emergency department use, fasting time, metabolic decompensation, and death.