tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Ital J Pediatr
. 2020 Nov 16;46(1):170.
doi: 10.1186/s13052-020-00928-y.
Health-care organization for the management and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children during pandemic in Campania region, Italy
Francesco Nunziata[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eugenia Bruzzese[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marco Poeta[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Luca Pierri[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andrea Catzola[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gian Paolo Ciccarelli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Edoardo Vassallo[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Emma Montella[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Andrea Lo Vecchio[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alfredo Guarino[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: In comparison with adults, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children has a milder course. The management of children with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) needs to be appropriately targeted.
Methods: We designed a hub-and-spoke system to provide healthcare indications based on the use of telemedicine and stringent admission criteria, coordinate local stakeholders and disseminate information.
Result: Between March 24th and September 24th 2020, the Hub Centre managed a total of 208 children (52% males, median age, 5.2, IQR 2-9.6 years) with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Among them, 174 were managed in cooperation with family pediatricians and 34 with hospital-based physicians. One hundred-four (50%) received a final diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Application of stringent criteria for hospital admission based on clinical conditions, risk factors and respect of biocontainment measures, allowed to manage the majority of cases (74, 71.1%) through telemedicine. Thirty children (28%) were hospitalized (median length 10 days, IQR 5-19 days), mainly due to the presence of persistent fever, mild respiratory distress or co-infection occurring in infant or children with underlying conditions. However, the reasons for admission slightly changed over time.
Conclusion: An hub-and-spoke system is effective in coordinate territorial health-care structures involved in management paediatric COVID-19 cases through telemedicine and the definition of stringent hospital admission criteria. The management of children with COVID-19 should be based on clinical conditions, assessed on a case-by-case critical evaluation, as well as on isolation measures, but may vary according to local epidemiological changes.
Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Management; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
. 2020 Nov 16;46(1):170.
doi: 10.1186/s13052-020-00928-y.
Health-care organization for the management and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children during pandemic in Campania region, Italy
Francesco Nunziata[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Eugenia Bruzzese[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marco Poeta[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Luca Pierri[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Andrea Catzola[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gian Paolo Ciccarelli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Edoardo Vassallo[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Emma Montella[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Andrea Lo Vecchio[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alfredo Guarino[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33198780
- DOI: 10.1186/s13052-020-00928-y
Abstract
Background: In comparison with adults, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection in children has a milder course. The management of children with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) needs to be appropriately targeted.
Methods: We designed a hub-and-spoke system to provide healthcare indications based on the use of telemedicine and stringent admission criteria, coordinate local stakeholders and disseminate information.
Result: Between March 24th and September 24th 2020, the Hub Centre managed a total of 208 children (52% males, median age, 5.2, IQR 2-9.6 years) with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Among them, 174 were managed in cooperation with family pediatricians and 34 with hospital-based physicians. One hundred-four (50%) received a final diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Application of stringent criteria for hospital admission based on clinical conditions, risk factors and respect of biocontainment measures, allowed to manage the majority of cases (74, 71.1%) through telemedicine. Thirty children (28%) were hospitalized (median length 10 days, IQR 5-19 days), mainly due to the presence of persistent fever, mild respiratory distress or co-infection occurring in infant or children with underlying conditions. However, the reasons for admission slightly changed over time.
Conclusion: An hub-and-spoke system is effective in coordinate territorial health-care structures involved in management paediatric COVID-19 cases through telemedicine and the definition of stringent hospital admission criteria. The management of children with COVID-19 should be based on clinical conditions, assessed on a case-by-case critical evaluation, as well as on isolation measures, but may vary according to local epidemiological changes.
Keywords: COVID-19; Children; Management; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).