Pediatric Health Care Utilization Research Articles

Longitudinal analyses (2018-2022) of the COVID-19 impact on Swiss pediatric healthcare utilization

Abstract Background The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare utilization in the early pandemic is well documented. However, studies on changes in both primary and tertiary pediatric healthcare utilization that considered data beyond the first pandemic year is lacking. Methods National health insurance data (primary care) and pediatric emergency department data (tertiary care) from Jan. 2018 - June 2022 and on 0-18-year-olds were analyzed with interrupted time series. The first lockdown was used to differentiate between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Results Several healthcare services yielded significantly lower average utilization rates during the pandemic vs. the pre-pandemic period, particularly in the youngest age groups. In primary care, the relative utilization, compared to the pre-pandemic mean, dropped in regards to regular (0-5y: 0.760 [0.644-0.896]; 6-10y: 0.850 [0.742-0.974]), well-child (0-5y: 0.871 [0.765-0.992]), and urgent visits (0-5y: 0.638 [0.500-0.813]; 6-10y: 0.810 [0.665-0.985]), and for the vaccination against measles/mumps/rubella (MMR; 0-5y: 0.841 [0.729-0.971]). Similarly, in tertiary care, this pattern emerged for non-urgent (Zurich: 0.55 [0.482-0.627]; Geneva: 0.526 [0.435-0.636]; Ticino: 0.502 [0.436-0.578]) and urgent visits (Zurich: 0.573 [0.498-0.659]; Geneva: 0.487 [0.375-0.632]; Ticino: 0.676 [0.57-0.802]). The utilization rates of most services dropped markedly after the lockdown and recovered to some extent over the pandemic phase. However, no recovery was found for the MMR-vaccination. In primary care, higher average utilization rates during the pandemic were identified for telephone consultations (0-5y: 1.394 [1.218-1.594]; 6-10y: 1.547 [1.387-1.726]; 11-15y: 1.578 [1.430-1.741]; 16-18y: 1.831 [1.614-2.076]). Conclusions The pandemic’s effect on utilization seemed to have occurred temporarily, but it cannot be ruled out that some children have not fully caught up on preventative measures (well-child visits and MMR-vaccinations). Key messages • Pediatric healthcare utilization dropped considerably immediately after the lockdown, with the most pronounced decrease observed in the youngest children. • The heterogenous recovery over the pandemic period points to the necessity to continue to monitor utilization rates, catch-up visits, and vaccination statistics.

Age, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Health Care Utilization.

To assess whether the association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with pediatric health care utilization differs by age. In this retrospective cohort study, we included patients completing primary care ACEs screening between January 2020 and September 2021. Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener Part 1 scores were categorized 0, 1 to 3, or ≥4 (none, low, and high, respectively). Two multivariable logistic regression models assessed emergency department (ED) and inpatient utilization across all ages 6 months after screening. Among 37 315 patients, 15.7% visited the ED and 2.5% were hospitalized within 6 months of ACEs screening. Using no ACEs as the reference, infants and toddlers with any ACEs had lower odds of ED and inpatient utilization, whereas older children with any ACEs had higher odds of ED (age-low ACEs: 0.04, P value < .001; age-high ACEs: 0.08, P value < .001) and inpatient (age-low ACEs: 0.06, P value < .001; age-high ACEs: 0.15, P value < .001) utilization and increased each successive year of age. The association of ACEs with health care utilization is dependent on age and is more complex than previously described. These trends may inform specific therapeutic strategies for pediatric patients by age.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic effect on pediatric asthma health care utilization in an urban hospital

The "September epidemic" is a well-described phenomenon of increased pediatric asthma-related health care utilization from August to September each year. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about significant changes in health care utilization, warranting an investigation into its impact on the September epidemic. Our aim was to identify the impact of COVID-19 in asthma-related health care utilization, specifically in the September epidemic. Our study involved a retrospective analysis of data from a Children's Hospital in New York City. We compared the change in asthma-related health care utilization during August and September 2020 with the average change in utilization during the same period in 2017-2019 and 2021-2022. Stratified analyses based on age and sex were conducted by using chi-square tests to determine variations in health care utilization. During September 2020, there was a marked reduction in emergency department (ED) visits related to asthma, with only a 6% rise from the preceding month. This stands in contrast to the observed increases from 89% to 193% in the other years studied (P< .05 for all). This pattern was seen in both sexes and in children under 13 years old (P< .05). No significant variation was found for those older than 13 years (P> .05). Despite an overall reduction in health care utilization over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decline in ED visits related to asthma during the September epidemic was significantly more pronounced. These results suggest that there may be remediable risk factors contributing to the September epidemic that can be used to guide future interventions for managing pediatric asthma.

Healthcare utilization is increased in children living in urban areas, with ethnicity-related disparities: A big data analysis study.

This study aimed to investigate differences in pediatric healthcare utilization in Israel over 10 years by examining differences across populations defined by living environment and ethnicity. Data was obtained from the Clalit Health Care data warehouse, covering over 250,000 children residing in Haifa and Western Galilee districts. The population groups were categorized based on ethnicity (Jewish vs Arab) and residential settings (urban vs rural). Healthcare utilization was consistently higher among Jewish than Arab children, irrespective of the specific dimension analyzed. Additionally, urban-dwelling children exhibited higher usage rates than those residing in rural areas in all investigated dimensions. However, Jewish children showed significantly about 18% lower hospitalization rates than Arab children across all years (P < 0.001). No significant differences in hospitalizations were observed between urban and rural children (RR 0.999, CI (0.987-1.011)). Notably, the study revealed reduced antibiotic consumption and hospitalizations over the years for all populations. Additionally, we found that Arab children and those living in rural areas had reduced access to healthcare, as evidenced by 10-40% fewer physician visits, laboratory tests, and imaging (P < 0.001). Conclusion:This study highlights the substantial population-based disparities in healthcare utilization among children in Israel despite the equalizing effect of the national health insurance law. Rural and low socioeconomic populations seem to have reduced healthcare access, showing decreased healthcare utilization. Consequently, it is imperative to address these disparities and implement targeted interventions to enhance healthcare access for Arab children and rural communities. The decline in antibiotic usage and hospitalizations suggests positive trends in pediatric health care, necessitating ongoing efforts to ensure equitable access and quality of care for all populations. What is Known: • Healthcare systems worldwide vary in coverage and accessibility, including Israel, which stands out for its diverse population. • Existing research primarily focuses on healthcare utilization among adults, leaving a need for comprehensive data on children's healthcare patterns globally. What is New: • Investigating over 250,000 children, this study reveals higher healthcare utilization among Jewish and urban children across all dimensions. • Despite Israel's national health insurance law, the study underscores the significant population-based disparities in healthcare utilization.

Pediatric behavioral health care utilization in integrated primary care and hospital-based clinics during the pandemic – Implications for virtual care

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic forced health care organizations and providers to adapt innovative approaches to ensure patient care needs are met. In particular, improving patient access to behavioral health services is essential to improving population health. &#x0D; Methods and Aims: Clinical visit volume and utilization data were analyzed via the Tableau platform for behavioral health visits by providers within the division of Pediatric Psychology at the University of Michigan Health (UM) during the pandemic through the present. UM is a publicly funded academic medical center that manages a total of approximately 2.5 million patient visits per year. Psychologists provide care within hospital-based specialty clinics or primary care clinics, both of which utilize integrated models of care. Unprecedented changes were made with regards to care delivery format and workforce allocation, and the present paper examines the corresponding impact on patient behavior health care. &#x0D; Results: During Fiscal Year 22 (July 2021 to June 2022), 24 pediatric psychology providers completed a total of 8,252 visits within 12,802 available patient slots, a utilization rate of 64.5%. Utilization was significantly higher in primary care clinics (80.9%) than in hospital-based clinics (51.6%), Z = 34.47, p &lt; .00001. Services were delivered virtually in 100% of the 4549 visits completed in primary care and 72.6% of the 3703 completed hospital visits. These data are currently being analyzed for the present Fiscal Year 23. Patient satisfaction data revealed barriers impacting access to care, including scheduling issues, setting up virtual care and managing, technology problems. &#x0D; Conclusions: Utilization data provides strong support for delivery of behavioral health services in primary care via virtual care means. However, patients area likely to encounter significant barriers to initiating and participating in care when systems are designed to exclusively or primarily support remote users. &#x0D;

Adolescent Total and Mental Health–Related Emergency Department Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Previous research has assessed changes in pediatric and adolescent health care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, less is known regarding how the pandemic affected adolescents' use of emergency care, specifically for mental health (MH). To determine how adolescents (ages 12-17 years), compared with other age groups, sought help in emergency departments (EDs) in general and for MH conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this cross-sectional study, National Syndromic Surveillance Program data and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mental Health, version 1, query were used to track patterns in weekly adolescent ED visits by region across the 10 US Department of Health and Human Services regions from January 2019 through December 2021. Data analysis was performed in April and May 2023. Total ED visits, MH-related ED visits, and the proportion of total ED visits that were MH related by week-region. Both weekly regional ED visits and MH-related ED visits dropped after the onset of the pandemic. Because total ED visits dropped more than MH-related ED visits, the proportion of MH-related ED visits increased for the adolescent group. Total ED visits only returned to prepandemic weekly levels (2019: mean [range], 7358 [715-25 908] visits) in the middle of 2021 (overall in 2021: mean [range], 6210 [623-25 777] visits). Mental health-related visits also dropped in 2020 but rebounded to prepandemic weekly levels (2019: mean [range], 634 [56-1703] visits) by the end of 2020 (mean [range], 533 [39-1800] visits). This cross-sectional study suggests that families' perceptions of the need for emergent MH care were reduced during the pandemic by less than their perception of the need for emergency care overall. Emergency departments should be equipped to provide critical care specifically for adolescents facing MH emergencies.

Sociodemographic Disparities in Ambulatory Pediatric Telemedicine Utilization During COVID-19.

Objective: Few studies have examined sociodemographic disparities in ambulatory pediatric telemedicine utilization during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We aimed to (1) assess disparities in telemedicine visit completion during the first 6 weeks of the pandemic in 2020 and (2) determine if these disparities were significantly different from those present in 2019, when all visits occurred in person. Methods: We compared sociodemographic characteristics of patients with successful versus unsuccessful telemedicine visits from March 10, 2020 to April 18, 2020, using generalized linear mixed models. We performed the same analysis for in-person visits from the same period in 2019. We tested for differences across years using interaction terms in a combined 2019-2020 model. Results: Of 3,639 telemedicine visits scheduled, 3,033 (83.3%) were successful. In 2020, Black/African American race was significantly associated with lower odds of telemedicine visit success (odds ratio 0.65 [95% confidence interval 0.49-0.87]) compared with White race, after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, insurance type, visit timing, visit specialty, social vulnerability index, and internet access. In 2019, racial identity other than White was significantly associated with lower odds of in-person visit success than White, as was public insurance compared with private. In the full 2019-2020 model, in-person visits (2019) had lower odds of success than telemedicine visits (2020), and neither race, insurance type, nor any other sociodemographic characteristic had significant interactions with year. Conclusions: Racial disparities were evident in telemedicine utilization early in the pandemic; however, these disparities were not significantly different from those seen in 2019, when all visits were in person. Furthermore, telemedicine may improve access to care overall, despite having no significant impact on inequity. Efforts to eliminate racial disparities in ambulatory pediatric health care utilization are necessary across visit modalities.

Population-level SDOH and Pediatric Asthma Health Care Utilization: A Systematic Review.

Spatial analysis is a population health methodology that can determine geographic distributions of asthma outcomes and examine their relationship to place-based social determinants of health (SDOH). To systematically review US-based studies analyzing associations between SDOH and asthma health care utilization by geographic entities. Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Empirical, observational US-based studies were included if (1) outcomes included asthma-related emergency department visits or revisits, and hospitalizations or rehospitalizations; (2) exposures were ≥1 SDOH described by the Healthy People (HP) SDOH framework; (3) analysis occurred at the population-level using a geographic entity (eg, census-tract); (4) results were reported separately for children ≤18 years. Two reviewers collected data on study information, demographics, geographic entities, SDOH exposures, and asthma outcomes. We used the HP SDOH framework's 5 domains to organize and synthesize study findings. The initial search identified 815 studies; 40 met inclusion criteria. Zip-code tabulation areas (n = 16) and census-tracts (n = 9) were frequently used geographic entities. Ten SDOH were evaluated across all HP domains. Most studies (n = 37) found significant associations between ≥1 SDOH and asthma health care utilization. Poverty and environmental conditions were the most often studied SDOH. Eight SDOH-poverty, higher education enrollment, health care access, primary care access, discrimination, environmental conditions, housing quality, and crime - had consistent significant associations with asthma health care utilization. Population-level SDOH are associated with asthma health care utilization when evaluated by geographic entities. Future work using similar methodology may improve this research's quality and utility.

Health Care Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Individuals Born Preterm

Limited data exist on pediatric health care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic among children and young adults born preterm. To investigate differences in health care use related to COVID-19 concerns during the pandemic among children and young adults born preterm vs those born at term. In this cohort study, questionnaires regarding COVID-19 and health care utilization were completed by 1691 mother-offspring pairs from 42 pediatric cohorts in the National Institutes of Health Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program. Children and young adults (ages 1-18 years) in these analyses were born between 2003 and 2021. Data were recorded by the August 31, 2021, data-lock date and were analyzed between October 2021 and October 2022. Premature birth (<37 weeks' gestation). The main outcome was health care utilization related to COVID-19 concerns (hospitalization, in-person clinic or emergency department visit, phone or telehealth evaluations). Individuals born preterm vs term (≥37 weeks' gestation) and differences among preterm subgroups of individuals (<28 weeks', 28-36 weeks' vs ≥37 weeks' gestation) were assessed. Generalized estimating equations assessed population odds for health care used and related symptoms, controlling for maternal age, education, and psychiatric disorder; offspring history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or asthma; and timing and age at COVID-19 questionnaire completion. Data from 1691 children and young adults were analyzed; among 270 individuals born preterm, the mean (SD) age at survey completion was 8.8 (4.4) years, 151 (55.9%) were male, and 193 (71.5%) had a history of BPD or asthma diagnosis. Among 1421 comparison individuals with term birth, the mean (SD) age at survey completion was 8.4 (2.4) years, 749 (52.7%) were male, and 233 (16.4%) had a history of BPD or asthma. Preterm subgroups included 159 individuals (58.5%) born at less than 28 weeks' gestation. In adjusted analyses, individuals born preterm had a significantly higher odds of health care utilization related to COVID-19 concerns (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.70; 95% CI, 1.21-2.38) compared with term-born individuals; similar differences were also seen for the subgroup of individuals born at less than 28 weeks' gestation (aOR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.40-3.29). Maternal history of a psychiatric disorder was a significant covariate associated with health care utilization for all individuals (aOR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.17-1.78). These findings suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, children and young adults born preterm were more likely to have used health care related to COVID-19 concerns compared with their term-born peers, independent of a history of BPD or asthma. Further exploration of factors associated with COVID-19-related health care use may facilitate refinement of care models.

Ethnicity and paediatric healthcare utilisation: Improving the quality of quantitative research

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the stark health inequities affecting minority ethnic populations in Europe. However, research on ethnic inequities and healthcare utilisation in children has seldom entered the policy discourse. A scoping review was conducted in the UK, summarising and appraising the quantitative evidence on ethnic differences (unequal) and inequities (unequal and unfair or disproportionate to healthcare needs) in paediatric healthcare utilisation. Methods Embase, Medline and grey literature sources were searched for studies published 2001-2021. Studies that found differences and inequities were mapped by ethnic group and healthcare utilisation outcome. They were appraised using the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisal checklists. The distribution of studies was described across various methodological parameters. Results Of the 61 included studies, most found evidence of ethnic variations in healthcare utilisation (n = 54, 89%). Less than half attempted to distinguish between ethnic differences and inequities (n = 27, 44%). Studies were concentrated on primary and preventive care and hospitalisation, with minimal evidence on emergency and outpatient care. The quality of studies was often limited by a lack of theory underpinning analytical decisions, resulting in conflation of difference and inequity, and heterogeneity in ethnic classification. The majority of studies examined children's ethnicity but overlooked parent/caregiver ethnicity, and also didn't investigate patterns across age, year or location. Conclusions To improve the validity, generalisability and comparability of research on ethnicity and paediatric healthcare utilisation, findings from this scoping review were used to develop recommendations for future research. These lessons could be applied more broadly across the European context to improve evidence generation and evidence-based policy-making to reduce inequities in healthcare. Key messages • Quantitative studies of ethnicity and paediatric healthcare utilisation in the UK lack the use of sound theoretical frameworks, and often do not distinguish between ethnic differences and inequities. • The quality of future studies can be improved with greater attention to how ethnicity is classified and analysed, alongside specific considerations for examining healthcare utilisation in children.

347 The Association of Environmental Factors on Emergency Pediatric Asthma-Related Health Care Utilization

Asthma is a multifactorial disease in which complex environmental exposures contribute to asthma exacerbations, often requiring acute medical attention. Although asthma exacerbations follow a seasonal pattern, our ability to precisely predict the timing and magnitude of increased asthma admissions remains limited. Pediatric asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits historically follow a bimodal distribution with peak admissions occurring in the spring and fall, while being lowest during the summer.

Change on the Circulation of Respiratory Viruses and Pediatric Healthcare Utilization during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Asturias, Northern Spain.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of restrictions and nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) changed the trends in respiratory viral circulation and the pattern in pediatric healthcare utilization; (2) Methods: A retrospective, multicenter observational study designed to analyze the impact of the pandemic on pediatric healthcare utilization and the viral circulation pattern in children in a region in Northern Spain was carried out. Viral diagnostics data from all nasal or pharyngeal swabs collected in children in Asturias during the periods of March 2018–September 2019 and March 2020–September 2021 were analyzed, as well as the number of pediatric hospitalizations and emergency visits; (3) Results: A total of 14,640 samples were collected during the pandemic period. Of these, at least one respiratory virus was detected in 2940 (20.1%) while 5568/10,298 samples were positive in the pre-pandemic period (54.1%); p < 0.001. The detection of both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses decreased among periods (p < 0.001). After week 14, 2020, enveloped viruses were no longer detected until one year later, while non-enveloped viruses continued to be detected in children. Overall, a mean of 4946.8 (95% CI 4519.1–5374.4) pediatric emergency visits per month during the period 2018–2019 as compared to 2496.5 (95% CI 2086.4–2906.5) for 2020–2021 occurred (p < 0.001). The mean of pediatric hospitalizations also significantly decreased between periods, as follows: 346.6 (95% CI 313–380.2) in 2018–2019 vs. 161.1 (95% CI 138.4–183.8); p < 0.001; (4) Conclusions: Our study showed a remarkably reduction in pediatric hospitalizations and emergency visits and a change in the pattern of viral circulation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Asturias. The usual seasonal respiratory viruses, namely influenza or RSV were nearly absent in the pediatric population during the pandemic.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Healthcare Utilization and Disease Dynamics: An Observational Study From Western Odisha.

IntroductionChildren were affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus during the first and second waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 pandemic. Although the severity was less in children, the fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2 at the hospital might have led to a delayed health-seeking attitude. The objective of the study was tailored around emergency health care utilization affecting outcomes. The study was done to compare the trend concerning the utilization of pediatric healthcare and immunization services, changes in the profile of diseases, and the outcomes between the pre-COVID-19 period and the COVID-19 period in a tertiary care hospital.MethodsThis retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in western Odisha. Data were collected retrospectively from different hospital registers (outpatient register, inpatient register, and immunization records) and analyzed between the pre-COVID-19 period (April 2019 to March 2020) and the COVID-19 period (April 2020 to March 2021) with appropriate statistical procedures.ResultsThere was a 60%, 49.8%, 51.1%, and 25.5% reduction in outpatient attendance, indoor pediatric admissions, nutritional rehabilitation centre admissions, and newborn admissions, respectively in COVID-19 period as compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. The pediatric bed occupancy rate was reduced by 54.5%. Unfavourable outcomes (death, left against medical advice, and referral) were significantly high in hospitalized children (24% vs. 18.1%, p < 0.001). The reduction in hospitalization due to common conditions like acute respiratory tract infections, bronchiolitis and asthma, and acute gastroenteritis during COVID-19 was 76.5%, 86.2%, and 39.5%, respectively. A higher percentage of low birth weight and preterm (<34 weeks) babies were admitted to special neonatal care unit (SNCU) during the pandemic (61.8% vs. 58%, p < 0.05; 18.9% vs. 15.8%; p < 0.05 respectively).ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown led to a significant decrease in pediatric and neonatal healthcare utilization. The impact of lower care-seeking and attendance resulting in poor patient-related outcomes (malnutrition, upsurge of vaccine-preventable diseases, disease-specific hospitalization, and mortality) post-pandemic is a real threat.

A Perspective on Pediatric Respiratory Outcomes During California Wildfires Due to Smoke and PM2.5 Exposure.

As wildfires increase in prevalence and intensity across California and globally, it is anticipated that more children will be exposed to wildfire smoke, and thus face associated adverse health outcomes. Here, we provide a concise summary of the respiratory effects of California's wildfires on pediatric healthcare utilization, examine global examples of wildfire smoke exposure within the pediatric population and associated physiological effects, and assess the efficacy of metrics used to measure and communicate air quality during wildfires within the United States and elsewhere.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric emergency department utilization for head injuries

Head injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in children, accounting for numerous emergency department (ED) visits. It is unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced healthcare utilization...

Chronic Conditions and Pediatric Healthcare Utilization during Warm Weather Days in New York City

Chronic Conditions and Pediatric Healthcare Utilization during Warm Weather Days in New York City

Characteristics of Pediatric Frequent Users of Emergency Departments in Alberta and Ontario.

Emergency department (ED) volumes have drawn attention to frequent users but less attention has been paid to children. This study examined sociodemographic and ED presentation characteristics of pediatric high-system ED users (HSUs) in 2 provinces in Canada. Cohorts of HSUs were created from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System in 2015/2016 for children with the top 10% of ED presentations. Controls were random samples of non-HSU patients. Factors were explored in multivariable logistic regression models. There were 151,497 HSUs (51.7% girls, average age, 6.4 years) and 591,545 controls (53.1% girls; average age, 7.4 years). High-system ED users were more likely to be younger (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.89 per 5 years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-0.89), live in less populated areas (aOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.82-1.88), and from lowest income neighborhoods (aOR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.48-1.54) than controls. High-system ED users had higher proportions of presentations for pediatric complex chronic (aOR, 1.25 per 0.25 increase; 95% CI, 1.21-1.29), respiratory (aOR, 1.14 per 0.25; 95% CI, 1.12-1.15), and mental health (aOR, 1.14 per 0.25; 95% CI, 1.13-1.16) conditions than controls. Complex factors underlie pediatric health care utilization decisions. Findings identified conditions to target in interventions to improve health care access and utilization. Future work should engage children and families to design interventions.

Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on Health Care Utilization for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease - a Specialty Treatment Center Experience

Introduction:Starting in March 2020, the coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic affected the United States (US) health care system. Many individuals were afraid to seek medical care due to fear of obtaining COVID-19; therefore, there was a high frequency of adults forgoing medical care. Chronic conditions including diabetes, COPD, mental health, and HTN outcomes worsened due to decrease in routine care during the pandemic. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic blood disorder that causes numerous complications including but not limited to vaso-occlusive crisis, strokes, and chronic kidney disease. Individuals who have routine follow up with a hematologist have been shown to have decreased hospitalizations, ER visits, length of stay, and opiate usage. The Inland Empire region of Southern California is one of the densest hot spots for patient's living with sickle cell disease in terms of disease burden and health care utilization. Therefore, we evaluated how the COVID-19 pandemic affected health care utilizations with individuals with SCD in this area.Methods:A retrospective analysis of the health care utilization in the inpatient setting was performed at three time points in line with the C.D.C. COVID pandemic declaration (Pre COVID: September 2019 to February 2020, Intra COVID 1: March 2020 to Sept 2020, Intra COVID 2: October 2020 to February 2021). Primary endpoints included emergency room visits, inpatient admissions, and length of stay, blood product utilization, and opioid utilization. Secondary endpoints and analyses included pediatric vs. adult health care utilization disparity and outcomes. Descriptive analysis was done by calculating frequency and percentages for categorical variables and mean and standard deviation for continuous variables.Results:Shown in Result TABLE attached .Patients seeking inpatient care for scheduled procedure's/ transfusion were excluded from this analysis. Patients with SCD diagnoses of acute SCD crises (pan crisis /chest syndrome / COVID infection / Pneumonia) were included in assessment. Absolute number of patients per ED visit, patient per Inpatient admission frequency has been shown in more detail in the bar chart in Figure and will be presented in the oral presentation along with detailed data analysis box plots and charts.Discussion:Fewer patients' sought timely care for acute SCD event leading to fewer but prolonged hospitalizations, a trend seen in our adult and pediatric patient's across the board during intra COVID 1 and 2 time points, likely due to the fear of contracting COVID infection at an acute health care setting in a declared pandemic . Similarly, we found there were less unique sickle cell patients using the ER for both pediatric and adult patients during the pandemic. There was a decrease in the amount of hospital admission related to sickle cell disease, which was similar to results published in the United Kingdom. More sickle cell vaso-occlusive crisis were being managed at home, likely due to avoidance of COVID exposures at health care facilities, likely thus leading to certain individuals having more severe crisis as shown by increased LOS in our adult population. Additionally, only a few individuals with likely more severe crisis needed more RBC transfusions. The general trend for different patients requiring RBCs and IV opiates decreased during the pandemic. Due to more people foregoing medical care especially in the minority populations who had restrictions to access to healthcare, there was an overall decrease in inpatient healthcare utilization in sickle cell population during the pandemic. Additionally care disparities in outcome of pediatric and adult SCD patients were highlighted by our study. Pediatric patients commonly cared at a center of excellence by the dedicated team of sickle cell stakeholders, seemed to do well overall as compared to adult SCD patients who notoriously have has inequitable access to comprehensive Sickle Cell care globally.Infrastructure around better outpatient support, care optimization with sickle cell disease modifying agents and timely access to inpatient care even in a pandemic, that is ongoing could be strategies to reduce stress on the health care systems and better utilization of scarce resources in current times of surge from an International health care crisis such as the SAR CoV2 pandemic. [Display omitted] DisclosuresJain: GBT: Consultancy; CSL Behring: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Octapharma: Consultancy; Blue Bird Bio: Consultancy.

Race, ethnicity, and goal‐concordance of end‐of‐life palliative care in pediatric oncology

Racial and ethnic minority children with cancer disproportionately receive intensive care at the end of life (EOL). It is not known whether these differences are goal-concordant or disparities. The authors sought to explore patterns of pediatric palliative care (PPC) and health care utilization in pediatric oncology patients receiving subspecialty palliative care at the end-of-life (last 6 months) and to examine goal-concordance of location of death in a subset of these patients. This was a retrospective cohort study of pediatric oncology patients receiving subspecialty palliative care at a single large tertiary care center who died between January 2013 and March 2017. A total of 115 patients including 71 White, non-Hispanic patients and 44 non-White patients (including 12 Black patients and 21 Hispanic patients) were included in the analytic cohort. There were no significant differences in oncologic diagnosis, cause of death, or health care utilization in the last 6 months of life. White and non-White patients had similar PPC utilization including time from initial consult to death and median number of PPC encounters. Non-White patients were significantly more likely to die in the hospital compared to White patients (68% vs 46%, P = .03). Analysis of a subcohort with documented preferences (n = 45) revealed that 91% of White patients and 93% of non-White patients died in their preferred location of death. Although non-White children with cancer were more likely to die in the hospital, this difference was goal-concordant in our cohort. Subspecialty PPC access may contribute to the achievement of goal-concordant EOL care.

Changes in pediatric healthcare utilization in Hunan Province, China, during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-center cross-sectional study.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought remarkable disruption to the ways in which healthcare was delivered. This study aimed to examine changes in pediatric healthcare utilization in Hunan Province, China, during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsAn electronic survey was conducted among 142 hospitals in Hunan Province, China. Using data from January 1 to April 30, 2019 as a reference, the changes in the number of visits for different types of pediatric healthcare between January 1 and April 30, 2020 were calculated. Changes in the number of admissions for infections and injuries were also evaluated.ResultsThe total number of pediatric healthcare presentations decreased by 53.3% in the first four months of 2020. The most remarkable reductions were observed in the utilization of emergency room (ranging from –45.7% to –94.9% among three hospital levels) and observation room (–55.8% to –77.7%); neonatal inpatient care experienced the smallest decreases (–21.2% to –25.5%). Approximately 85% of the total reduction in the number of pediatric inpatient admissions was attributable to the reduction in admissions for infections. A 13.3% increase in the number of admissions for injuries was observed among third-level hospitals.ConclusionsThe utilization of all types of pediatric healthcare services in Hunan Province declined markedly after the outbreak of COVID-19. The reasons, consequences, and responses to these changes should be addressed in future studies and actions.