Abstract
BACKGROUND: Previous research has outlined significant gaps in the care of children and adults with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). The Australian Study of the Burden and Outcomes of CHD will assess medical, psychological, social and economic issues affecting CHD patients and carers and provide a detailed account of CHD patients' healthcare utilisation. METHODS: A random sample of patients aged ≥5 years, equally split between genders, CHD complexity (mild, moderate, severe) and rural and remote locations (20-25%) was extracted from the National Australian CHD Registry (n = 68,214) from four large participating CHD centres (2 adult and 2 child). Patients and their carers were invited to participate in an in-person study visit for physical assessment and for a series of surveys questioning physical and mental health, neurodevelopment, and quality of life. RESULTS: Of 6,726 contacted patients, 1,911 (28%) consented, with 99.5% of surveys completed online. 1,658 consented participants completed at least one study activity (87% response rate). Proxies/carers completed surveys for 11% of participants (primarily those under age 8 or with intellectual disability). All study activities were completed by 750 respondents (45%). Respondents were older (median age 24 [IQR 12-41 years] vs 18 [IQR 11-35 years], p = 0.005) and had a higher proportion of severe CHD (28%) compared to non-respondents (23%). No significant differences in disease complexity were observed between respondents and non-respondents. CONCLUSION: This multi-site study of over 1600 CHD patients aims to offer the first comprehensive profiling of the burdens and outcomes faced by Australia's growing CHD population.