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Introduction: Differences have earlier been seen among Danish counties regarding the percentage of children with asthma being treated at outpatient clinics and by general practitioners. As there are also differences in the hospitalisation rate of asthmatic children, it is appropriate to compare the pattern of referral of children with asthma and to evaluate this in relation to the waiting time before treatment and the resources used in outpatient asthma and allergy clinics in different counties. Materials and methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of all newly referred children with asthma in 2001 in the paediatric wards in Skejby, Viborg, Kolding and Odense. We compared (1) the number ofnewly referred children with asthma or allergy-related diseases in relation to the total number of children in the health district, (2) the share of newly referred children with asthma who had been treated with inhaled steroid prior to referral, (3) the waiting time before admission and (4) the use of specialist resources. Results: The percentage of newly referred children with asthma and allergy-related diseases in Skejby, Viborg, Kolding and Odense was 0.23%, 0.68%, 0.48% and 0.73%, respectively (p< 0.01). The percentage of children treated prior to referral was 67.1%, 56.2%, 57.3% and 49.6%, respectively (p =0,03). The resources used in 2001 varied from 9 hours (Skejby) to 21 hours (Viborg) per 1,000 children, and the waiting time varied from 84 days (Viborg) to 195 days (Skejby). Discussion: The differences, especially between Skejby and Odense, may be an expression of asthmatic children being treated by GPs to a higher extent in Århus than in Odense. As the hospitalisation rate is higher in the County of Fyn than in Århus, it can be questioned whether greater use of specialist resources improves the quality of treatment. It is not known if hospitalisation rate is a good indicator of quality of treatment. Further research in this area is necessary.

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