TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - A multicenter evaluation of pediatric emergency department injury visits during the COVID-19 pandemic
JO  - Injury epidemiology
A1  - Hanson, Holly R.
A1  - Formica, Margaret
A1  - Laraque-Arena, Danielle
A1  - Zonfrillo, Mark R.
A1  - Desai, Puja
A1  - O'Neil, Joseph O.
A1  - Unni, Purnima
A1  - Johnson, Estell Lenita
A1  - Cobb, Patricia
A1  - Agarwal, Maneesha
A1  - Beckworth, Kristen
A1  - Schroter, Stephanie
A1  - Strotmeyer, Stephen
A1  - Donnelly, Katie A.
A1  - Middelberg, Leah K.
A1  - Morse, Amber M.
A1  - Dodington, James
A1  - Latuska, Richard F.
A1  - Anderson, Brit
A1  - Lawson, Karla A.
A1  - Valente, Michael
A1  - Levas, Michael N.
A1  - Kiragu, Andrew Waititu
A1  - Monroe, Kathy
A1  - Ruest, Stephanie M.
A1  - Lee, Lois K.
A1  - Charyk Stewart, Tanya
A1  - Attridge, Megan M.
A1  - Haasz, Maya
A1  - Jafri, Mubeen
A1  - McIntire, Alicia
A1  - Rogers, Steven C.
A1  - Uspal, Neil G.
A1  - Blanchard, Ashley
A1  - Hazeltine, Max D.
A1  - Riech, Teresa
A1  - Jennissen, Charles
A1  - Model, Lynn
A1  - Fu, Quinney
A1  - Clukies, Lindsay D.
A1  - Juang, David
A1  - Ruda, Michelle T.
A1  - Prince, Jose M.
A1  - Chao, Stephanie
A1  - Yorkgitis, Brian K.
A1  - Pomerantz, Wendy J.
SP  - e66
EP  - e66
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Injuries, the leading cause of death in children 1-17 years old, are often preventable. Injury patterns are impacted by changes in the child's environment, shifts in supervision, and caregiver stressors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence and proportion of injuries, mechanisms, and severity seen in Pediatric Emergency Departments (PEDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. <br><br>METHODS: This multicenter, cross-sectional study from January 2019 through December 2020 examined visits to 40 PEDs for children < 18 years old. Injury was defined by at least one International Classification of Disease-10th revision (ICD-10) code for bodily injury (S00-T78). The main study outcomes were total and proportion of PED injury-related visits compared to all visits in March through December 2020 and to the same months in 2019. Weekly injury visits as a percentage of total PED visits were calculated for all weeks between January 2019 and December 2020. <br><br>RESULTS: The study included 741,418 PED visits for injuries pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). Overall PED visits from all causes decreased 27.4% in March to December 2020 compared to the same time frame in 2019; however, the proportion of injury-related PED visits in 2020 increased by 37.7%. In 2020, injured children were younger (median age 6.31 years vs 7.31 in 2019), more commonly White (54% vs 50%, p < 0.001), non-Hispanic (72% vs 69%, p < 0.001) and had private insurance (35% vs 32%, p < 0.001). Injury hospitalizations increased 2.2% (p < 0.001) and deaths increased 0.03% (p < 0.001) in 2020 compared to 2019. Mean injury severity score increased (2.2 to 2.4, p < 0.001) between 2019 and 2020. Injuries declined for struck by/against (- 4.9%) and overexertion (- 1.2%) mechanisms. Injuries proportionally increased for pedal cycles (2.8%), cut/pierce (1.5%), motor vehicle occupant (0.9%), other transportation (0.6%), fire/burn (0.5%) and firearms (0.3%) compared to all injuries in 2020 versus 2019. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of PED injury-related visits in March through December 2020 increased compared to the same months in 2019. Racial and payor differences were noted. Mechanisms of injury seen in the PED during 2020 changed compared to 2019, and this can inform injury prevention initiatives.    Keywords: CoViD-19-Road-Traffic <p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2197-1714
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40621-023-00476-z
ID  - ref1
ER  -