Effects of COVID-19-targeted non-pharmaceutical interventions on pediatric emergency department use: a quasi-experimental study interrupted time-series analysis in North Italian hospitals, 2017 to 2022.

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  • Additional Information
    • Corporate Authors:
    • Source:
      Publisher: Frontiers Editorial Office Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101616579 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2296-2565 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 22962565 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Front Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Lausanne : Frontiers Editorial Office
    • Subject Terms:
    • Abstract:
      Background: The use of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic is debated. Understanding the consequences these measures may have on vulnerable populations including children and adolescents is important.
      Methods: This is a multicenter, quasi-experimental before-after study involving 12 hospitals of the North Italian Emilia-Romagna Region, with NPI implementation as the intervention event. The 3 years preceding NPI implementation (in March 2020) constituted the pre-pandemic phase. The subsequent 2 years were further subdivided into a school closure phase (SC) and a subsequent mitigation measures phase (MM) with milder restrictions. Interrupted Time Series (ITS) regression analysis was used to calculate PED Standardized Incidence Rate Ratios (SIRR) on the diagnostic categories exhibiting the greatest frequency and/or variation.
      Results: In the 60 months of the study there were 765,215 PED visits. Compared to the pre-pandemic rate, overall PED presentations dropped by 58 and 39% during SC and MM, respectively. "Symptoms, signs and Ill-defined conditions," "Injury and poisoning" and "Diseases of the Respiratory System" accounted for 74% of the reduction. A different pattern was instead seen for "Mental Disorders," which exhibited the smallest decrease during SC, and is the only category which rose already at the end of SC. ITS analysis confirmed the strong decrease during SC (level change, IRR 0.17, 95%CI 0.12-0.27) and a significant increase in MM (slope change, IRR 1.23, 95%CI 1.13-1.33), with the sharpest decline (-94%) and rise (+36%) observed in the "Diseases of the Respiratory System" category. Mental Disorders showed a significant increasing trend of 1% monthly over the whole study period exceeding pre-pandemic levels at the end of MM. Females and adolescents showed higher increasing rates both in SC and MM.
      Conclusion: NPIs appear to have influenced PED attendance in different ways according to diagnostic categories, mirroring different mechanisms of action. These effects are beneficial in some cases and harmful in others, and establishing a clear balance between pros and cons is a difficult task for public health decision makers. The role of NPIs on PED use appropriateness deserves investigation. The rise in pediatric mental disorders independent of the pandemic makes interventions addressing these issues urgent.
      Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
      (Copyright © 2024 Puntoni, Maglietta, Caminiti, Miniaci, Lanari, Caramelli, Marchetti, De Fanti, Iughetti, Biasucci, Suppiej, Miceli, Ghizzi, Vergine, Aricò, Stella, Esposito and the Emilia-Romagna Paediatric COVID-19 network.)
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    • Contributed Indexing:
      Investigator: F Diodati; C Maria Palo; A Miniaci; L Bertelli; G Biserni; A Troisi; A Iacono; F Bonvicini; D Bartolomeo; A Trombetta; T Zini; N de Paulis; C Forest; B Guidi; F Di Florio; E Valletta; F Accomando; G Ramundo; A Argentiero; V Fainardi; M Deolmi
      Keywords: COVID-19 epidemiology; Diseases of the Respiratory System; Interrupted Time Series regression analysis; Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention; Symptoms; injury and poisoning; mental disorders; quasi-experimental design
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240815 Date Completed: 20240815 Latest Revision: 20240816
    • Publication Date:
      20240816
    • Accession Number:
      PMC11322479
    • Accession Number:
      10.3389/fpubh.2024.1439078
    • Accession Number:
      39145166