Tracking Pediatric Emergency Department Visits During a Pandemic

COVID-19 Research Area(s): Healthcare Delivery & Policy

It is important to understand health-services seeking behaviors in times of a pandemic. The balancing act of perceptions about maintaining social distancing and during a pandemic versus the need to visit a health care provider when most physicians' offices are closed, may lead families to choose how they care for their sick children. We plan to review Pediatric Emergency data,  to determine what families are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will also determine if children arriving to emergency are sicker than in the past, possibly representing delay in care due to the pandemic.