Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Linkou, Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2022 Aug 17;58(8):1112. doi: 10.3390/medicina58081112.
(1) The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably affected clinical systems, especially the emergency department (ED). A decreased number of pediatric patients and changes in disease patterns at the ED have been noted in recent research. This study investigates the real effect of the pandemic on the pediatric ED comprehensively by performing a systematic review of relevant published articles. (2) A systematic review was conducted based on a predesigned protocol. We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for relevant articles published until 30 November 2021. Two independent reviewers extracted data by using a customized form, and any conflicts were resolved through discussion with another independent reviewer. The aggregated data were summarized and analyzed. (3) A total of 25 articles discussing the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric emergencies were included after full-text evaluation. Geographic distribution analysis indicated that the majority of studies from the European continent were conducted in Italy (32%, 8/25), whereas the majority of the studies from North America were conducted in the United States (24%, 6/25). The majority of the studies included a study period of less than 6 months and mostly focused on the first half of 2020. All of the articles revealed a decline in the number of pediatric patients in the ED (100%, 25/25), and most articles mentioned a decline in infectious disease cases (56%, 14/25) and trauma cases (52%, 13/25). (4) The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decline in the number of pediatric patients in the ED, especially in the low-acuity patient group. Medical behavior changes, anti-epidemic policies, increased telemedicine use, and family financial hardship were possible factors. A decline in common pediatric infectious diseases and pediatric trauma cases was noted. Researchers should focus on potential child abuse and mental health problems during the pandemic.
(1) COVID-19 大流行对临床系统产生了重大影响，尤其是急诊科 (ED)。最近的研究表明，儿科患者数量减少，ED 疾病模式发生变化。本研究通过对相关已发表文章进行系统评价，全面研究了大流行对儿科 ED 的实际影响。
(2) 我们根据预先设计的方案进行了系统评价。我们在 PubMed 和 EMBASE 数据库中搜索了截至 2021 年 11 月 30 日发表的相关文章。两位独立审查员使用定制表格提取数据，如果存在任何分歧，则通过与另一位独立审查员讨论解决。汇总数据并进行分析。
(3) 经过全文评估，共纳入 25 篇讨论 COVID-19 对儿科急诊影响的文章。地理分布分析表明，来自欧洲大陆的大多数研究都在意大利进行（32%，8/25），而来自北美的大多数研究都在美国进行（24%，6/25）。大多数研究的研究期间不到 6 个月，主要集中在 2020 年上半年。所有文章均表明 ED 儿科患者数量减少（100%，25/25），大多数文章提到传染病病例减少（56%，14/25）和创伤病例减少（52%，13/25）。
(4) COVID-19 大流行导致 ED 儿科患者数量减少，尤其是低危患者群体。医疗行为的改变、防疫政策、远程医疗的增加和家庭经济困难可能是导致这种情况的因素。常见儿科传染病和儿科创伤病例减少。研究人员应关注大流行期间潜在的儿童虐待和心理健康问题。
