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
Review
. 2021;9(4):171-177.
doi: 10.1007/s40124-021-00254-9. Epub 2021 Oct 9.

True Resilience: A Look Inside COVID's Effect on Children with Medical Complexity and Their Families

Sarah M Mitchell  1
Affiliations
Review

True Resilience: A Look Inside COVID's Effect on Children with Medical Complexity and Their Families

Sarah M Mitchell. Curr Pediatr Rep. 2021.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Vulnerable children with medical complexity are silent victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, impacted by lack of resources and sick caregivers. In this article, we examine ways in which the pandemic has increased the significant difficulties already experienced by these patients and their families. Increased awareness will lead to improvement in the disparities experienced by this population and improve the ability of healthcare providers to care for them.

Recent findings: The number of children living with medical complexity is rapidly increasing. They face unique circumstances which can lead to compromise in care. This population is especially at risk for complications related to COVID, so may have a more prolonged admission with more morbidities. Children of ethnic minorities are also more impacted by severe illness and death. Finally, access to palliative care has been limited, which is a huge part in caring for these children who have life-long medical care needs.

Summary: Children with medical complexity have unique circumstances and the entirety of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on this group is unknown. While the medical world has found ways to adapt, these changes can increase disparities for this population. Given the increase in number of children with medical complexity living in the USA, it is important to continue to consider the unique challenges they face in the current pandemic and improve the care delivery for both the child and his or her family.

Keywords: COVID-19; Children with medical complexity; Technology dependence.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine-Coronavirus Resource Center. Covid-19 Dashboard. COVID-19 Map—Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center http://www.jhu.edu (2021). Accessed 20 Aug 2021.
    1. • Shekerdemian LS, Mahmood NR, Wolfe KK, et al. Characteristics and outcomes of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection admitted to US and Canadian Pediatric Intensive Care Units. JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(9):868–73. 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.1948. Reinforced that children with medical complexity are at higher risk of complications if they become infected with COVID. - PMC - PubMed
    1. McPherson M, Arango P, Fox H, Lauver C, McManus M, Newacheck PW, Perrin JM, et al. A new definition of children with special health care needs. Pediatrics. 1998;102(1):137. doi: 10.1542/peds.102.1.137. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cohen E, Kuo DZ, Agrawal R, Berry JG, Bhagat SK, Simon TD, et al. Children with medical complexity: an emerging population for clinical and research initiatives. Pediatrics. 2011;127(3):529–538. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-0910. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Perrin JM, Anderson LE, VanCleave J. The rise in chronic conditions among infants, children, and youth can be met with continued health system innovations. Health Aff. 2014;33(12):2099–2105. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0832. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources