Impacts of the pandemic on the characteristics of care for children and adolescents in a public emergency room
Keywords:
COVID-19, Emergency Nursing, Emergency Medical Services, Child, AdolescentAbstract
Objective: To compare the characteristics of care for children and adolescents in a public emergency room before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
Method: Cross-sectional study that analyzed 18,488 care instances for children and adolescents, conducted in a large emergency room between 2019 and 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using the chi-square test for comparisons.
Results: During the pandemic period, there was a reduction in visits (from 54.55% to 45.45%; p<0.001). In contrast, an increase was observed among children aged 0–7 years and adolescents aged 18–19 years, along with a higher frequency of green/low-urgency triage classification and an increase in cardiorespiratory diseases (from 2.12% to 6.90%; p<0.001). Discharge remained the main outcome, with reductions in patient elopement and hospital admissions.
Conclusion: The pandemic affected the profile of care, with reduced demand, changes in age distribution, risk classification, and outcomes, reflecting shifts in the use of emergency services.
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