(1) Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably affected clinical systems, especially the emergency department (ED). A decreased number of pediatric patients and changes in disease patterns at the ED have been noted in recent research. This study investigates the real effect of the pandemic on the pediatric ED comprehensively by performing a systematic review of relevant published articles. (2) Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted based on a predesigned protocol. We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for relevant articles published until 30 November 2021. Two independent reviewers extracted data by using a customized form, and any conflicts were resolved through discussion with another independent reviewer. The aggregated data were summarized and analyzed. (3) Results: A total of 25 articles discussing the impact of COVID-19 on pediatric emergencies were included after full-text evaluation. Geographic distribution analysis indicated that the majority of studies from the European continent were conducted in Italy (32%, 8/25), whereas the majority of the studies from North America were conducted in the United States (24%, 6/25). The majority of the studies included a study period of less than 6 months and mostly focused on the first half of 2020. All of the articles revealed a decline in the number of pediatric patients in the ED (100%, 25/25), and most articles mentioned a decline in infectious disease cases (56%, 14/25) and trauma cases (52%, 13/25). (4) Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decline in the number of pediatric patients in the ED, especially in the low-acuity patient group. Medical behavior changes, anti-epidemic policies, increased telemedicine use, and family financial hardship were possible factors. A decline in common pediatric infectious diseases and pediatric trauma cases was noted. Researchers should focus on potential child abuse and mental health problems during the pandemic.
Background We investigated academic developmental trends in emergency medicine (EM) by analyzing the performance of EM journals. Methods This was a literature review study. We collected data from the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) database for EM category journals, including journal titles, language, numbers, and impact factors (IFs) from 2000 to 2019. The aggregate IFs of EM and 11 other categories (cardiac and cardiovascular systems, clinical neurology, critical care medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology, infectious diseases, general and internal medicine, pediatrics, respiratory system, surgery, toxicology, and urology and nephrology) were collected from 2003 to 2019. The slope of the linear regression was used to evaluate the trend in EM journal IFs and the aggregate IFs of all categories. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between EM journals’ IF in 2000 and their IF trend from 2000 to 2019. Results The EM journal number increased from 8 (all in English) in 2000 to 31 (26 in English) in 2019. In total, 28 EM journals had a positive IF trend since their initial enrollment into the JCR database, and the trend was significant for 18 journals. The correlation of the EM journals’ IF in 2000 and IF trends from 2000 to 2019 was 0.75. The increasing trend of aggregate IF for the EM category was significant and ranked 8th of 12 categories. Conclusions The increased number, language diversity, and IF trend for EM journals indicates that the development of academic EM is a continuous international trend. In the past 20 years, the IF trend increased faster for EM journals with a higher initial IF. The overall performance of EM journals was non-inferior to other medical specialties.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.