J Paediatr Child Health
. 2026 Feb 18.
doi: 10.1111/jpc.70332. Online ahead of print. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41705572/
Beyond Discharge: A Scoping Review of the Long-Term Outcomes of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in Australia
Casey Stubbs 1, Jennie Casey 1, Prudence Berry 1, Timothy Walsh 1
Affiliations Expand
- PMID: 41705572
- DOI: 10.1111/jpc.70332
Abstract
Aim: The aim of this scoping review was to identify, explore and map the available literature on long-term health-related outcomes in children born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in Australia, following discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Study design: This scoping review used Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI) review methods to identify qualitative and quantitative peer-reviewed journal publications, published between January 2005 and June 2025.
Data sources: Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, Ovid Embase and Google Scholar.
Data synthesis: Database searches produced 57 potential studies; 5 met the inclusion criteria. All studies included Australian-based participants and discussed outcomes after discharge from NICU. Children surviving at 1 year of age were identified in two of the included studies. Neurodevelopment and psychosocial long-term health-related outcomes and sequelae were identified in three of the five studies. Quality of life was discussed in two of the studies, and multisystem involvement, such as respiratory and gastrointestinal, was the focus of one study.
Conclusion: The findings of this scoping review demonstrate that there is a dearth of peer-reviewed literature available on long-term health-related outcomes for children born with CDH in Australia. As survival rates of neonates born with CDH continue to increase, more research is needed to better understand the long-term health outcomes, and therefore the long-term health needs, of this population group.
Keywords: Australia; congenital diaphragmatic hernia; health care; long‐term; outcomes.
© 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).
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