Covid-19 Pandemi Sürecinde Sağlıklı Çocuk Takibi ve Kronik Hastalık Kontrollerinin Sürekliliği ve Pandeminin Poliklinik Başvurularına Erken ve Geç Dönemdeki Etkisinin Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Aim: Pandemic disrupted health care access in many centers all around the world. CDC recommended that seperating pandemic and non-pandemic hospitals, prioritizing emergency visits, postponing elective operations and, where possible, converting outpatient visits to telehealth calls. In this period, well-child checkups were cancelled and routine childhood vaccination was interrupted. We aimed to evaluate the impact of pandemic on the routine immunization schedule, neonatal screening program, chronic disease follow ups and outpatient clinic visits. 
 Material and Method: In total, 401 children and their parents were included in this study and patient population of interest was children of routine immunization age. Outpatient visit features and compliance with the childhood vaccination and neonatal screening program before and during the pandemic were asked. 
 Results: Compared to 2021, there was a significant increase in both the number of patients with upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and their hospital admissions. While the rates of hospital admissions increased in 2022 in those with diarrhea, almost all of the patients with lower respiratory tract infection symptoms stated that they applied to the hospital in both periods. It was observed that routine vaccination and newborn screening programs were carried out successfully during the pandemic process in Turkey. It was found that chronic disease follow-ups of children were interrupted in 2021. 
 Conclusion: This study has shown how the 3 major components of health system (outpatient clinic visits, well child check-ups and chronic disease follow-ups) were affected at different times of the pandemic in Turkey. Successful management in childhood vaccinations and neonatal screening program should also be ensured in chronic disease follow-up bythe separation of pandemic and non-pandemic hospitals. Showing the strengths and weaknesses of strategies implemented in health system during the pandemic guides the measures to be taken for similar situations that may occur in the future.