Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2020 Nov;36(11):551-553.
doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002260.

COVID-19: Transatlantic Declines in Pediatric Emergency Admissions

Rachel Isba, Rhiannon Edge  1 , Marc Auerbach, Mark X Cicero, Rachel Jenner  2 , Erika Setzer  3 , Emily Broughton  2 , Thomas Keegan  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

COVID-19: Transatlantic Declines in Pediatric Emergency Admissions

Rachel Isba et al. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Introduction: This cross-sectional study looked at the impact of the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric emergency department (PED) attendances and admissions (as a proxy for severity of illness) in the United States and United Kingdom.

Methods: Data were extracted for children and adolescents, younger than 16 years, attending Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (RMCH, United Kingdom), and Yale New Haven Children's Hospital (YNHCH, United States). Attendances for weeks 1 to 20 of 2020 and 2019 were compared, and likelihood of admission was assessed via calculation of odds ratios, using week 13 (lockdown) as a cutoff.

Results: Attendance numbers for each PED decreased in 2020 compared with 2019 (RMCH, 29.2%; YNHCH, 24.8%). Odds of admission were significantly higher after lockdown than in 2019-RMCH (odds ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.46) and YNHCH (odds ratio, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-1.98).

Conclusions: Although the absolute numbers of children and adolescents attending the PED and being admitted decreased after lockdown, the acuity of illness of those attending appears to be higher.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Weekly PED attendances (children and adolescents aged less than 16 years) from weeks 1-20 of 2020 compared to the same weeks in 2019. The pandemic was declared in week 11. Dates marked relate to the date on which the event was announced and may not reflect the date that it occurred (e.g. 1st death); PHEIC = Public Health Event of International Concern. A. Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (UK), weeks start on a Monday. Note: on April 8th a nearby smaller PED closed and some patients may have diverted to RMCH, resulting in an apparent increase in attendances and therefore decrease in the observed difference compared to 2019. B. Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital (US), weeks start on a Sunday.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 (last accessed 23rd May 2020).
    1. Sinha IP Harwood R Semple MG, et al. . COVID-19 infection in children. Lancet Respir Med. 2020;8:446–447. - PMC - PubMed
    1. United Nations Policy Brief: the impact of COVID-19 on children (15th April 2020). Available at https://unsdg.un.org/resources/policy-brief-impact-covid-19-children (last accessed 23rd May 2020).
    1. Isba R Edge R Jenner R, et al. . Where have all the children gone? Decreases in paediatric emergency department attendances at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Arch Dis Child. 2020;105:704. - PubMed
    1. Lazzerini M Barbi E Apicella A, et al. . Delayed access or provision of care in Italy resulting from fear of COVID-19. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2020;4:e10–e11. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms