Epidemiology of 30,000 Pediatric Urgent Care Telemedicine Visits in the Era of COVID-19
Year: 2022
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: To describe the epidemiology of patients accessing a pediatric urgent care telemedicine platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study of the first 30,000 pediatric patients who accessed our pediatric urgent care telemedicine platform during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study population came from 15 states and included the dates May 15 through September 16, 2020. We also described the groups of patients referred for in-person evaluation in urgent care or emergency department (ED) settings. Results: Mean patient age was 7.6 ± 5.4 years and 51% of patients were male. Twenty-one percent were publicly insured. More than 60% of patients sought care between 12 and 7 p.m. The most common reasons for seeking care were concerns for COVID-19 (50.5%) and fever (6.8%). Antibiotics were prescribed in 4.3% of visits. Children had an in-person visit to our urgent care offices on the same day in 9% of visits. Less than 1% of children were referred to the ED. Conclusions: In this large series of telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer than 10% required escalation to an in-person office visit and fewer than 1% required escalation to an ED.
Authors: Mordechai D. Raskas, Gabriel J. Feuerstein-Mendik, Gary Gerlacher, Sheryl Cohen, Shannon Henning, Jennifer M. Cramer, Ora Sultan, Sabah F. Iqbal
Institutions: Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4212930487