Download PDF
J Pediatr Infect Dis 2022; 17(05): 227-233
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1755237
Original Article

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Pediatric Hospital Admissions in Turkey

Ozlem Erdede 
1   Department of Pediatrics, Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's Disease Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Erdal Sarı
1   Department of Pediatrics, Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's Disease Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Nihan Uygur Külcü
1   Department of Pediatrics, Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's Disease Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
,
Rabia Gönül Sezer Yamanel
1   Department of Pediatrics, Zeynep Kamil Maternity and Children's Disease Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Objective Health care utilization has declined significantly during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on pediatric admissions in a Turkish medical center.

Methods This retrospective study was conducted by analyzing the numbers and records, including diagnoses, of patients admitted to our pediatric department between March 11, 2020 (the day of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Turkey) and June 11, 2020 and comparing it with the diagnoses and numbers for the same period in 2019. The most common reasons for admissions were investigated.

Results Totally, 89,607 patients were included. Patient visits reduced drastically by 63.11 to 36.89% during the lockdown period compared to the preceding year. In addition to the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on the total volume of patients, we observed significant variations in the distribution of diagnoses among children. The percentage of respiratory, gastrointestinal, immunological, and ophthalmologic diseases and allergic reactions statistically decreased (p < 0.001). In contrast, the relative percentage of neonatal, urogenital, neurological, cardiovascular, hematological, and dermatological diseases significantly increased (p < 0.001) among emergency department (ED) admissions. Notably, the percentage of respiratory diseases among ED patients decreased by 66.81 to 33.19%.

Conclusion COVID-19 strongly affected health care utilization. The public must be educated about the safety of hospital environments, and families should be encouraged to visit hospitals in case of emergencies. Additionally, changes in public health advice may help alter health care consumption patterns.

Keywords

COVID-19 - children - public health - health care utilization - Turkey

Authors' Contributions

All authors were involved in the critical revision of the manuscript. Ö.E. and E.S. made a substantial contribution to the study design, literature review, and drafting the manuscript; Ö.E., E.S., and N.U.K. were responsible for literature review, drafting, and revising the manuscript. R.G.S. analyzed clinical data and drafted the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.




Publication History

Received: 07 March 2022

Accepted: 23 May 2022

Article published online:
02 August 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

  • References

  • 1 Wee LE, Fua TP, Chua YY. et al. Containing COVID-19 in the emergency department: the role of improved case detection and segregation of suspect cases. Acad Emerg Med 2020; 27 (05) 379-387
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Ghebreyesus TA. WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19—March 11, 2020. 2020 . Accessed July 22, 2020 at: https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19%2D%2D-11-march-2020
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Turkish Rebuclic Ministry of Health. New Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Turkish Rebuclic Ministry of Health. 2020. Accessed April 7, 2020 at: https://covid19bilgi.saglik.gov.tr/tr
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Lazzerini M, Barbi E, Apicella A, Marchetti F, Cardinale F, Trobia G. Delayed access or provision of care in Italy resulting from fear of COVID-19. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2020; 4 (05) e10-e11
    Google Scholar
  • 5 Kadambari S, Abo YN, Phuong LK, Osowicki J, Bryant PA. Decrease in infection-related hospital admissions during COVID-19: why are parents avoiding the doctor?. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2020; 39 (11) e385-e386
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Rosenbaum L. The untold toll—the pandemic's effects on patients without Covid-19. N Engl J Med 2020; 382 (24) 2368-2371
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Giamello JD, Abram S, Bernardi S, Lauria G. The emergency department in the COVID-19 era. Who are we missing?. Eur J Emerg Med 2020; 27 (04) 305-306
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Talarico V, Pinto L, Marseglia GL. et al; SIMEUP research group. Impact of novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic in Italian pediatric emergency departments: a national survey. Ital J Pediatr 2021; 47 (01) 47
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Erlichman M, Zalut T, Schwartz S, Weiser G. The ongoing indirect effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on a pediatric emergency department. PLoS One 2021; 16 (05) e0251003
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Glaser CA, Gilliam S, Thompson WW. et al. Medical care capacity for influenza outbreaks, Los Angeles. Emerg Infect Dis 2002; 8 (06) 569-574
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Schoch-Spana M. Implications of pandemic influenza for bioterrorism response. Clin Infect Dis 2000; 31 (06) 1409-1413
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Kraemer MUG, Yang CH, Gutierrez B. et al; Open COVID-19 Data Working Group. The effect of human mobility and control measures on the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Science 2020; 368 (6490): 493-497
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Cauchemez S, Ferguson NM, Wachtel C. et al. Closure of schools during an influenza pandemic. Lancet Infect Dis 2009; 9 (08) 473-481
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Mantica G, Riccardi N, Terrone C, Gratarola A. Non-COVID-19 visits to emergency departments during the pandemic: the impact of fear. Public Health 2020; 183: 40-41
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Castro Delgado R, Arcos González P. Analyzing the health system's capacity to respond to epidemics: a key element in planning for emergencies. Emergencias 2020; 32 (03) 157-159
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Ahorsu DK, Lin CY, Imani V, Saffari M, Griffiths MD, Pakpour AH. The fear of COVID-19 scale: development and initial validation. Int J Ment Health Addict 2020; 27: 1-9
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Lin C-Y. Social reaction toward the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVİD-19). Soc Health Behav 2020; 3 (01) 1-2
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Carret ML, Fassa AG, Paniz VM, Soares PC. [Characteristics of the emergency health service demand in Southern Brazil]. Cien Saude Colet 2011; 16 (Suppl 1): 1069-1079
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Kubicek K, Liu D, Beaudin C. et al. A profile of nonurgent emergency department use in an urban pediatric hospital. Pediatr Emerg Care 2012; 28 (10) 977-984
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 MacIntyre CR, Chughtai AA. Facemasks for the prevention of infection in healthcare and community settings. BMJ 2015; 350: h694
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Willmott M, Nicholson A, Busse H, MacArthur GJ, Brookes S, Campbell R. Effectiveness of hand hygiene interventions in reducing illness absence among children in educational settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Dis Child 2016; 101 (01) 42-50
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar