The Changing Trend of Paediatric Emergency Department Visits in Malaysia Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

Afiqah Syamimi Masrani, Nik Rosmawati Nik Husain, Kamarul Imran Musa, Paula Moraga, Mohd Tahir Ismail

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the emergency department (ED) due to the surge in medical demand and changes in the characteristics of paediatric visits. Additionally, the trend for paediatric ED visits has decreased globally, secondary to implementing lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19. We aim to study the trend and characteristics of paediatric ED visits following Malaysia’s primary timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and materials: A five-year time series observational study of paediatric ED patients from two tertiary hospitals in Malaysia was conducted from March 17, 2017 (week 11 2017) to March 17, 2022 (week 12 2022). Aggregated weekly data were analysed using R statistical software version 4.2.2 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria) against significant events during the COVID-19 pandemic to detect influential changepoints in the trend. The data collected were the number of ED visits, triage severity, visit outcomes and ED discharge diagnosis. Results: Overall, 175,737 paediatric ED visits were recorded with a median age of three years and predominantly males (56.8%). A 57.57% (p
Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalCureus
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 22 2023

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