Cystic Fibrosis Center Outcomes Data
The UW Cystic Fibrosis Center is one of more than 115 care centers across the country accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We work closely with the Foundation to continue to improve the care and quality-of-life of our patients and publicly report our center-specific data to give patients, families and ourselves an opportunity to look for areas of improvement.
Pulmonary Function and Nutritional Outcomes
Pulmonary function and nutrition are important indicators of the health of cystic fibrosis patients. The Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1, the volume of air a person is able to forcefully blow out in a second) is considered a good indicator of lung function. The Body Mass Index (BMI, a ratio of body weight to stature) is considered a good indicator of nutritional status.
| CF Patient Population | UW 2007 | Top 10 Centers | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lung function in children 6-12 years | 95% | 104% | 95% |
| Lung function in children 13-17 years | 91% | 99% | 88% |
| Lung function in adults 18-30 years | 58% | 85% | 69% |
| Lung function in adults > 30 years | 51% | 65% | 54% |
| Median BMI percentile for patients 2-20 years | 51.5% | 61.6% | 47.5% |
| Median BMI for patients > 20 years | 21.7 kg/m2 | 23.3 kg/m2 | 21.7 kg/m2 |
Care Provision Performance
Current guidelines of care recommend that patients with cystic fibrosis be evaluated at an accredited CF Center at least quarterly. In addition, patients should undergo pulmonary function testing at least two times a year and have a culture of their respiratory secretions performed at least once a year. The recommendation is also to increase the frequency of follow up for those patients that have more severe disease. We believe that more frequent clinic visits and more frequent monitoring of pulmonary function and sputum cultures can lead to better outcomes. Thus, we strive to exceed the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's recommended testing and obtain pulmonary function test and a sputum culture (or throat swab culture for patients who cannot cough out sputum) at every clinic visit.
| CF Patient Population | UW 2007 | Top 10 Centers | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children 6-17 years meeting guidelines for care | 77.9% | 90.7% | 68.2% |
| Children 6-17 years, four or more clinic visits | 83.1% | 92.8% | 71.5% |
| Children 6-17 years, one or more cultures | 98.7% | 100% | 97.8% |
| Children 6-17 years, two or more PFTs | 90.9% | 100% | 89.8% |
| Adults ? 18 years meeting guidelines for care | 46% | 79.6% | 54.7% |
| Adults ? 18 years, four or more clinic visits | 49% | 84% | 57.7% |
| Adults ? 18 years, one or more cultures | 96% | 100% | 92.7% |
| Adults ? 18 years, two or more PFTs | 89% | 96.6% | 82.5% |
Our data is shown compared to the average outcomes reported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for all accredited CF Centers in the US and also against the values reported by those Centers regarded as top 10 performers. (2007 data)