The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric traumatic injury and demographic presentations to a university emergency department

IntroductionThe objective of this study is to investigate how lifestyle changes affect the emergency department (ED) presentations of pediatric patients with acute traumatic injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted in the ED of Akdeniz University Hospital. We analyzed the medical records of pediatric patients who presented to our ED with acute traumatic injury during the 52-week period after March 16, 2020, which marks the official date when in-person education was suspended in Turkey due to COVID-19. These records were compared with those from the 52-week period prior to March 16, 2020 (pre-COVID). Patients with nontraumatic presentations or follow-up visits (e.g., dressing, suture removal, injection, etc.) were excluded from the study. The data was obtained through the Hospital Information System.ResultsThe total number of ED pediatric trauma visits declined by 46%. The overall presentation rates of patients between the ages of 1 and 4 years, home injuries, falls, burns, hospitalizations, and costs per patient increased during COVID-19. In contrast, the rate of motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, and injuries that occurred at schools and playgrounds decreased.ConclusionsIt should be expected that the decrease in the number of acute trauma presentations due to the implementation of distance education and lockdown restrictions will increase after the pandemic. As a result, it is necessary to pay attention to the safety of children in streets, playgrounds, and schools as the pandemic ends, as much as it will continue to be important to create safe environments for children at home. In order to reduce mortality and morbidity due to pediatric traumatic injuries, all authorized people, including the relevant ministries, should take precautions to protect children from injuries, and pediatric trauma should be addressed as a preventable public health problem. Although there was a 46% decrease in pediatric injury presentations during the COVID-19 period as compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, the rate of head, neck, and genitalia traumas increased, while the rate of lower extremity injuries decreased. While the rate of injuries at home increased during the COVID-19 period, the rate of injuries at school and playgrounds decreased. Although the rate of injuries occurred on the streets increased during the COVID-19 period, the total number was higher in the pre-COVID-19 period. image