Pediatric Emergencies and Hospital Admissions in the First Six Months of the Covid-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Children’s Hospital in Romania

Dados Bibliográficos

ID15717459
AutoresVictor Daniel Miron (0000-0002-2318-5365, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, autor correspondente), Deniz Günșahin (0009-0006-2984-4727, Clinical Emergency Hospital Bucharest), Claudiu Filimon (0000-0003-0058-0271, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy), Gabriela Bar (0000-0002-0924-2693, "Institutul National pentru Sanatatea Mamei si Copilului "Alessandrescu-Rusescu), Mihai Craiu (0000-0001-6194-6797, "Institutul National pentru Sanatatea Mamei si Copilului "Alessandrescu-Rusescu)
Ano2022
Volume9
Fascículo4
Páginas513-513
Data de publicação2022-04-05
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoChildren (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
EditoraMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/children9040513
PMID35455557
OpenAlexW4224319750
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas33

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the pediatric population, particularly on their access to health services. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the influence that the pandemic, and its related containment and mitigation public health measures, had on pediatric emergencies and hospitalizations in a major tertiary pediatric hospital in Bucharest, Romania, during the first six months of the pandemic, March−August 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. In these first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of pediatric emergencies decreased 2.8-fold compared to the same period in 2019, but the proportion of major emergencies increased significantly (p < 0.001). The number of admissions also decreased 3.3-fold in 2020, compared to 2019, but the risk of admission for lower respiratory tract infections and respiratory failure increased 1.3- and 2.3-fold, respectively. In conclusion, the restrictions imposed by the pandemic containment and mitigation plan not only had a significant impact on reducing emergency department presentations, but also on pediatric admissions in Romania. These data highlight the importance of maintaining optimal access to child health services when confronted with a public health threat, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Active communication with parents, involving general practitioners, pediatricians, and authorities, is essential for managing children with acute signs of illness in the case of future restrictions or lockdown measures

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Medical emergency · Outbreak · Pandemic · Pediatric hospital · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 · Tertiary care · Tertiary level · University hospital · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · Emergency and Acute Care Studies · Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units · Medicine · Psychology · Emergency Medicine · Pediatrics · Virology