TY - JOUR
T1 - Pediatric emergency department visits at US children's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - DeLaroche, Amy M.
AU - Rodean, Jonathan
AU - Aronson, Paul L.
AU - Fleegler, Eric W.
AU - Florin, Todd A.
AU - Goyal, Monika
AU - Hirsch, Alexander W.
AU - Jain, Shobhit
AU - Kornblith, Aaron E.
AU - Sills, Marion R.
AU - Wells, Jordee M.
AU - Neuman, Mark I.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/4/1
Y1 - 2021/4/1
N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pediatric emergency department (ED) visits is not well characterized. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of pediatric ED visits and resource use during the pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Pediatric Health Information System for ED visits to 27 US children's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic period (March 15, 2020, to August 31, 2020) and a 3-year comparator period (March 15 to August 31, 2017-2019). ED visit rates, patient and visit characteristics, resource use, and ED charges were compared between the time periods. We specifically evaluated changes in low-resource-intensity visits, defined as ED visits that did not result in hospitalization or medication administration and for which no laboratory tests, diagnostic imaging, or procedures were performed. RESULTS: ED visit rates decreased by 45.7% (average 911 026 ED visits over 2017-2019 vs 495 052 visits in 2020) during the pandemic. The largest decrease occurred among visits for respiratory disorders (70.0%). The pandemic was associated with a relative increase in the proportion of visits for children with a chronic condition from 23.7% to 27.8% (P,.001). The proportion of low-resource-intensity visits decreased by 7.0 percentage points, and total charges decreased by 20.0% during the pandemic period. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a marked decrease in pediatric ED visits across a broad range of conditions; however, the proportional decline of poisoning and mental health visits was less pronounced. The impact of decreased visits on patient outcomes warrants further research.
AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pediatric emergency department (ED) visits is not well characterized. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of pediatric ED visits and resource use during the pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Pediatric Health Information System for ED visits to 27 US children's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic period (March 15, 2020, to August 31, 2020) and a 3-year comparator period (March 15 to August 31, 2017-2019). ED visit rates, patient and visit characteristics, resource use, and ED charges were compared between the time periods. We specifically evaluated changes in low-resource-intensity visits, defined as ED visits that did not result in hospitalization or medication administration and for which no laboratory tests, diagnostic imaging, or procedures were performed. RESULTS: ED visit rates decreased by 45.7% (average 911 026 ED visits over 2017-2019 vs 495 052 visits in 2020) during the pandemic. The largest decrease occurred among visits for respiratory disorders (70.0%). The pandemic was associated with a relative increase in the proportion of visits for children with a chronic condition from 23.7% to 27.8% (P,.001). The proportion of low-resource-intensity visits decreased by 7.0 percentage points, and total charges decreased by 20.0% during the pandemic period. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a marked decrease in pediatric ED visits across a broad range of conditions; however, the proportional decline of poisoning and mental health visits was less pronounced. The impact of decreased visits on patient outcomes warrants further research.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104466374&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1542/peds.2020-039628
DO - 10.1542/peds.2020-039628
M3 - Article
C2 - 33361360
AN - SCOPUS:85104466374
VL - 147
JO - Pediatrics
JF - Pediatrics
SN - 0031-4005
IS - 4
M1 - e2020039628
ER -