The influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the spectrum of neonatal disease in a tertiary hospital in China: A retrospective analysis

Abstract

Background and AimsNeonatal diseases are a significant threat to global public health, affecting the homeostasis and well‐being of patients and reflecting the status of, and challenges to, regional, national, and global healthcare systems. This study sought to investigate how the disease spectrum observed among neonatal inpatients changed after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic.MethodsThe present hospital‐based retrospective study analyzed the demographic and clinical characteristics of 19,943 hospitalized newborns from January 2018 to December 2022 using data derived from pediatric department registers.ResultsAccording to the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD‐11) classification criteria, the two most common neonatal disorders during this study period were “Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period” and “Disease of the respiratory system.” Following the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020 onwards), the number of neonatal patients declined markedly (5742 per year vs. 2820 per year), and the incidence of “Disease of the respiratory system” was significantly lower than in 2018–2019 (25.72% vs. 17.46%).ConclusionThe study offers detailed insights into the shifts in neonatal disease patterns at the Seventh Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital following the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, providing a foundation for future research and policymaking efforts.