RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Trends in Pediatric Primary Care Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 4246
DO 10.1370/afm.21.s1.4246
VO 21
IS Supplement 1
A1 Hong, Grace
A1 Lin, Steven
A1 Yanamandra, Ananya
YR 2023
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/21/Supplement_1/4246.abstract
AB Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the volume and nature of pediatric primary care visits nationwide.Objective: This study aimed to identify trends in pediatric visits during COVID-19 at our institution to reveal challenges and opportunities to improve care.Study Design: Retrospective chart review of all pediatric visits from January 1, 2019 through September 30, 2021 using the electronic health record (EHR). Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.Setting or Dataset: Single family medicine clinic within a large academic medical center in Northern California. Data collected for each pediatric primary care visit included age, sex, type of visit (preventive or problem-focused), reason for visit (if problem-focused), and mode of visit (in-person or video).Population Studied: Pediatric patients (<18 years old).Intervention/Instrument: N/AOutcome Measures: Volume and nature of pediatric primary care visits.Results: A total of 4,846 pediatric visits occurred during the study period. Visit volume dropped 9% from 2019- 2020, mostly during April-May 2020, and recovered afterward to pre-pandemic baseline through 2021. There were no significant changes to age, sex, or type of visit during the study period with one exception: the proportion of problem-focused visits increased 23% (p=0.004) from 2019-2021 in adolescents aged 12-<18, driven largely by a 107% increase (p<0.001) in the proportion of behavioral health visits (14% in 2019, 18% in 2020, and 29% in 2021). Video visits accounted for 4% of all visits in 2019, 39% in 2020, and 35% in 2021. Video visit volume decreased from 2020-2021 in all age categories except for adolescents aged 12-<18, which remained stable at 43% of all visits.Conclusions: A sharp increase in behavioral health concerns among adolescents stands out as the most notable impact of COVID-19 on pediatric care at our institution. Our findings raise questions about how behavioral health care can be optimized for children and adolescents now and in the post-pandemic era.