Pattern of pediatric emergency visits during lockdown -Impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Jodhpur City, India

Abstract

Objectives: To study the impact of lockdown during novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on Pediatric Emergency visits. Methods: In this retrospective study, we compared the data regarding demographic details, triage category, underlying primary organ system involvement and outcomes among pediatric emergency visits of April-May 2019 and 2020. Results are expressed in means and proportions. Chi-square test was applied to compare the proportion in two groups. Results: We observed decrease in number of patients during lockdown period as compared to previous year (792 vs 506, decrease by 36%). There was significant increase in respiratory (P = 0.001, CI 2.66-11.6), and hematological emergencies (P < 0.001, CI 2.96-9.23) Road traffic accident (RTA) were decreased significantly (P = 0.005, CI 0.6-3.06). Unintentional injuries were comparable to previous year (P = 0.14, CI -0.86-6.19), though children being at home. Conclusion: During lockdown, number of pediatric emergency visits was reduced and also lead to delayed presentation. Parents should be informed about utilizing telemedicine services available during this period and avoid delaying in going to hospitals in emergency conditions.

Keywords

• covid-19 pandemic
• lockdown
• patient footfall
• pediatric emergency