Abstract:
Background: Whether the pandemic caused an increase in the
number of home accidents (HA) admitted to the pediatric emergency
department (PED) was investigated. Applications in a similar quarter in
2019 and 2020 were compared.
Methods: The study was retrospective. Their demographic data,
the reason for admission to the hospital, the time of admission, the
length of hospital stay, intensive care rate, and interventional
procedures were recorded. The two groups were compared to find whether
there was any difference.
Results: There were 700 and 597 admissions for specified
reasons during the specified period in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In
2019, 9.46% of all cases admitted to the PED were HA whereas the rate
was 24.43% in 2020. The male/female ratios were similar (p=0.520). The
median age in 2020 (36 months) was significantly higher than that in
2019 (33 months) (p=0.010). The main clinical presentations also
differed significantly. The incidence of falls, the gastric/intestinal
foreign bodies, and the penetrating stab injuries were significantly
higher in those in 2020 (p<0.001). Significant differences
were also found regarding diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
During the specified period in 2019, 623 patients (89.5%) were
discharged from the PED. The rate of discharge in 2020 (84.9%) was
significantly lower. Also, there were significantly more
hospitalizations in other wards in 2020 than those in 2019 (3.7% vs.
1.0%) (p=0.004).
Conclusion: The Covid-19 pandemic caused an increase in the
number of HAs cases admitted to the PED relative to all hospital
admissions. The most common type of accident was falls, as in the
non-pandemic period. The pandemic caused delays in accessing healthcare
services, especially for critically ill patients, more frequent
hospitalizations, and a decrease in the rate of discharge from the PED.
Keywords: children, Covid-19, home accidents, pediatric
emergency department