TY - JOUR
AU - G. Hong
AU - J. Less
AU - B. Masoudian
AU - A. Cruz
AU - S. Sifuentes
AU - J. Vue
AU - A. Yanamandra
AU - A. Sattler
AU - S. Lin
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the volume and nature of pediatric primary care visits nationwide. This study aimed to identify trends in pediatric visits at our institution during the pandemic to reveal opportunities to improve care of children and adolescents. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of all pediatric visits conducted at a single family medicine clinic within a large academic medical center in Northern California from January 1, 2019, through September 30, 2021. Data collected for each visit included age, sex, type of visit (preventive or problem-focused), reason for visit (if problem-focused), and mode of visit (in-person or telehealth). We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and χ2 tests. RESULTS: A total of 4,844 pediatric visits occurred during the study period. Visit volume dropped 9% from 2019 to 2020 and recovered to prepandemic levels in 2021. During the study period from 2019 to 2021, the percentage of problem-focused visits increased from 30% to 37% (P=.008) among adolescents, driven largely by an increase in the percentage of behavioral health visits from 14% to 29% (P< .001). We found no significant changes in the age or sex of patients seen. Telemedicine visit volume decreased from 2020 to 2021 in all age categories except for adolescents, 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 adolescents in the postpandemic era.
AD - Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.; Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
AN - 37540534
BT - Fam Med
C5 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities
CP - 9
DA - Oct
DO - 10.22454/FamMed.2023.755040
DP - NLM
ET - 20230724
IS - 9
JF - Fam Med
LA - eng
N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the volume and nature of pediatric primary care visits nationwide. This study aimed to identify trends in pediatric visits at our institution during the pandemic to reveal opportunities to improve care of children and adolescents. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of all pediatric visits conducted at a single family medicine clinic within a large academic medical center in Northern California from January 1, 2019, through September 30, 2021. Data collected for each visit included age, sex, type of visit (preventive or problem-focused), reason for visit (if problem-focused), and mode of visit (in-person or telehealth). We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and χ2 tests. RESULTS: A total of 4,844 pediatric visits occurred during the study period. Visit volume dropped 9% from 2019 to 2020 and recovered to prepandemic levels in 2021. During the study period from 2019 to 2021, the percentage of problem-focused visits increased from 30% to 37% (P=.008) among adolescents, driven largely by an increase in the percentage of behavioral health visits from 14% to 29% (P< .001). We found no significant changes in the age or sex of patients seen. Telemedicine visit volume decreased from 2020 to 2021 in all age categories except for adolescents, 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 adolescents in the postpandemic era.
PY - 2023
SN - 0742-3225 (Print); 0742-3225
SP - 620
EP - 624+
ST - Trends in Pediatric Primary Care Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunity to Address Adolescent Behavioral Health Through Telemedicine
T1 - Trends in Pediatric Primary Care Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunity to Address Adolescent Behavioral Health Through Telemedicine
T2 - Fam Med
TI - Trends in Pediatric Primary Care Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunity to Address Adolescent Behavioral Health Through Telemedicine
U1 - HIT & Telehealth; Healthcare Disparities
U3 - 10.22454/FamMed.2023.755040
VL - 55
VO - 0742-3225 (Print); 0742-3225
Y1 - 2023
ER -