How COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Children and Adolescents Use of the Emergency Department: the Experience of a Secondary Care Pediatric Unit in Central Italy.

ABSTRACT: Italy was the first European country hit by SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly northern regions. After the beginning of national lockdown (March 9th, 2020), we observed a significant decrease in pediatric emergency department consultations (daily pediatric visits; pre-lockdown, 16 (11-22); lockdown, 3 (1-3); phase 2, 3 (3-5), p < 0.0001). On the other hand, the percentage of children discharged right after pediatric visit significantly decreased from 80% in January to 50% in April. After March 9th, we registered a change in the diagnoses of emergency department visits, with an increase in the percentage of non-infectious acute conditions and a decrease in infectious diseases, with two cases of a noteworthy delayed access to hospital care. We performed a retrospective analysis of con

SUBMITTER: Vierucci F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7508675 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature