The Home Accident Cases Applying to The Pediatric Emergency Department
during the Covid-19 Pandemic: What Did the Pandemic Change?
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.