https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2025.12965
The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on traumatic injuries in children: a longitudinal observational study
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Published: 27 January 2025
The COVID-19 pandemic affected pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for traumatic injuries. This retrospective study analyzed data from Merano Hospital, Italy, spanning January 2018 to October 2022, focusing on standardized ED visits per 1000 orthopedic attendances. Findings indicated a significant decline in ED visits at the pandemic’s onset (March 2020), followed by a gradual increase until April 2022, when emergency measures ended. Fracture and orthopedic procedure rates remained stable, while dislocations saw a temporary increase, then declined significantly. Overall, the pandemic’s influence on pediatric trauma was minimal, with ED visits and injury patterns returning to pre-pandemic levels. These findings suggest that pandemic-related restrictions, including reduced outdoor activities and fewer traffic accidents, may have temporarily modified injury risk factors.
Downloads
Cunningham RM, Walton MA, Carter PM. The major causes of death in children and adolescents in the United States. N Engl J Med 2018;379:2468-75.
Goldstick JE, Cunningham RM, Carter PM. Current causes of death in children and adolescents in the United States. New Engl J Med 2022;386:1955–6.
Zaboli A, Brigo F, Sibilio S, et al. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the urgency of patients admitted to the emergency department. Int Emerg Nurs. 2022;65:101229.
Giostra F, Mirarchi M. G, Farina, et al. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on emergency room access in Northern and Central Italy. Emerg Care J 2021;17:9705.
Barbieri G, Spinelli S, Filippi M, et al. COVID-19 pandemic management at the Emergency Department: the changing scenario at the University Hospital of Pisa. Emerg Care J 2020;16:9146.
Christey G, Amey J, Campbell A, Smith A. Variation in volumes and characteristics of trauma patients admitted to a level one trauma centre during national level 4 lockdown for COVID-19 in New Zealand. N Z Med J 2020;133:818.
Sidpra J, Abomeli D, Hameed B, Baker J, Mankad K. Rise in the incidence of abusive head trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arch Dis Child 2021;106:e14.
Sanford EL, Zagory J, Blackwell JM, et al. Changes in pediatric trauma during COVID-19 stay-at-home epoch at a tertiary pediatric hospital. J Pediatr Surg 2021;56:918-22.
Jones EAK, Mitra AK, Bhuiyan AR. Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health in Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18:2470.
Deng J, Zhou F, Hou W, et al. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances in COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021;1486:90-111.
Fancourt D, Steptoe A, Bu F. Trajectories of anxiety and depressive symptoms during enforced isolation due to COVID-19 in England: a longitudinal observational study. Lancet Psychiatry 2021;8:141-9.
Brigo F, Zaboli A, Rella E, et al. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on temporal trends of workplace violence against healthcare workers in the emergency department. Health Policy 2022;126:1110-6.
Turcato G, Zaboli A, Luchetti A, et al. Effect of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic outbreak on the emergency department admission for an acute psychiatric condition. J Psychiatr Res 2022;151:626-32.
Jeffery MM, D’Onofrio G, Paek H, et al. Trends in emergency department visits and hospital accesses in health care systems in 5 states in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. JAMA Intern Med 2020;180:1328-33.
Santi L, Golinelli D, Tampieri A, et al. Non-COVID-19 patients in times of pandemic: Emergency department visits, hospitalizations and cause-specific mortality in Northern Italy. PloS One 2021;16:e0248995.
Pines JM, Zocchi MS, Black BS, et al. Characterizing pediatric emergency department visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Emerg Med 2021;41:201-4.
Sullivan TM, Scheese D, Jain E, et al. Injury patterns and outcomes at a single pediatric trauma center during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic. J Surg Res 2023;292:123-129.
Al Harthi R, Al Hinai M, Al Abri M, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pattern of trauma presenting to a tertiary care trauma centre in Oman. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J 2023;23:297-302.
Ruzzini L, De Salvatore S, Lamberti D, et al. COVID-19 Changed the Incidence and the Pattern of Pediatric Traumas: A Single-Centre Study in a Pediatric Emergency Department. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18:6573.
Green MA, McKee M, Katikireddi SV. Remote general practitioner consultations during COVID-19. Lancet Digit Health 2022;4:e7.
How to Cite
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
