Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life worldwide. The aim of the present study was to review and describe and acknowledge the impact of COVID-19 on the pediatric health care system at a pediatric tertiary hospital in Wenzhou.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, a public pediatric tertiary hospital in Southern Zhejiang Province that specializes in pediatrics. The data regarding the primary diagnosis of patients were extracted from the electronic medical records system of the hospital. Data for outpatients and inpatients treated at the pediatric department were analyzed in the time frame of 22 weeks since the beginning of the pandemic (from December 30, 2019 to June 2, 2020) and compared with data from the same period in 2019.Results: The total number of outpatient cases in the previous 22 weeks of the year declined from 560,620 in 2019 to 247,030 in 2020, and inpatient cases decreased from 14,177 to 7,555. This negative trend settled by week 6 and 7 and subsequently approached the 2019 numbers. The most noticeable decrease in the number of cases was observed in children of preschool age. Moreover, the number of weekly visits decreased at the beginning of the epidemic, reached the lowest value during the lockdown period, and recovered after the lockdown.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, clinical practice in a pediatric department in Wenzhou was substantially affected by the epidemic and measures such as physical distancing and increased personal hygiene, particularly in preschool-age children. An understanding of the trends and impacts of the pandemic on pediatric patients and health systems will facilitate better preparation of pediatricians in the future.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life worldwide
The purpose of this study was to describe the profound changes in clinical practice that occurred in a children’s hospital during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wenzhou
A retrospective study was conducted at Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, a public pediatric tertiary hospital in Wenzhou that specializes in pediatrics
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of life worldwide. Due to its extremely high potential for dissemination, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization [2]. According to WHO, COVID-19 has affected almost all countries/areas of the world and caused more than 1.1 million deaths as of October 18, 2020 [3]. Face mask wearing was enforced in public places, all enterprises and largescale entertainment establishments were shut down, and public transportation was generally suspended. In addition to these measures, some specialized interventions were implemented for children, such as the extension of the Lunar New Year holidays, the closure of schools, and the use of distance education [6]. In the middle of April, the outbreak had been well-controlled in Wenzhou, and students began to return to school in batches
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