An evaluation of pediatric emergency cases in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: A single-centre experience.

Autor: Yilmaz A; Amasya University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Child Health and Disease Nursing Department, Türkiye. Electronic address: abellikli@yahoo.com., Esenay FI; Ankara University, Faculty of Nursing, Child Health and Disease Nursing Department, Türkiye.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of pediatric nursing [J Pediatr Nurs] 2024 Jan-Feb; Vol. 74, pp. 17-22. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 17.
DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2023.11.014
Abstrakt: Aim: Nurses responsible for the care of children in the emergency department must be aware of the case profile of the pandemic era, better prepare for developing crises, and identify preventive services. The study aims to determine the pediatric emergency cases admitted during the pandemic and compare them to those during the pre-pandemic period.
Methods: The current study was designed as a single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive research. All patients aged between 0 and 18 who presented to the pediatric emergency department and had electronic patient records were included in the research population. The data were gathered over two periods: the pre-pandemic period from 2019 to 2020 and the pandemic period from 2020 to 2021. A total of 145,591 patient records were analyzed.
Results: The number of admissions declined by 51.6% during the pandemic, and a noticeable difference in the reasons for emergency department visits (p = 0.001) was detected. The pandemic saw a decrease in the cases of respiratory, gastrointestinal diseases, and ear, nose, and throat problems. In contrast, there was an increase in the cases of musculoskeletal system diseases, infections, falls, traumas, and neonatal problems.
Conclusion: The number of pediatric emergency cases decreased significantly during the pandemic, and compared to the pre-pandemic period, some changes in these cases were observed.
Practical Implications: Particular attention should be given to ensuring that mothers of newborn infants receive adequate nursing care. Nurses working in the emergency department should keep their knowledge up-to-date regarding the changing health issues specific to the pandemic period.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest. The full manuscript of the study is not publised elsewhere. Aslı Yilmaz and Figen Işık Esenay reports no financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. The manuscript has been read and approved by all authors and the requirements for authorship have been met. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Committee in Amasya University. The institution's permission was obtained from Amasya Provincial Health Directorate.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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